[1] In the 2002 NBA draft, the Cavaliers selected Dajuan Wagner from the University of Memphis with the sixth pick,[2] and selected Carlos Boozer out of Duke University with the 34th pick in the second round.
[3][4] During the off-season, the team acquired Darius Miles from the Los Angeles Clippers.
[5] After a 2–2 start to the season, the Cavaliers suffered a dreadful 15-game losing streak between November and December.
They would continue to struggle as head coach John Lucas was replaced with Keith Smart after an 8–34 start.
Despite their awful season, Ricky Davis showed improvement averaging 20.6 points, 5.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game.