Cavaliers pick Meleek Thomas at No. 34 of 2026 NBA Draft. What to know

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Cavaliers pick Meleek Thomas at No. 34 of 2026 NBA Draft. What to know

Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Thu, Jun 25, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Cavaliers have drafted Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas with the No. 34 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft

The Cavs originally traded out of the No. 29 overall selection , dealing that pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for No. 34, which they turned into Thomas, and a 2032 second-round pick.

Thomas starred at Arkansas in his one season of college basketball and is a former five-star recruit for the Razorbacks.

Here's a look at more on Thomas.

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Cleveland Cavaliers pick Meleek Thomas of Arkansas in NBA draft

Mar 15, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) drives to the basket past Vanderbilt Commodores guard Duke Miles (2) during the first half during the men's SEC Conference Tournament Championship at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

(Steve Roberts, Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

Arkansas coach John Calipari works with guard Meleek Thomas (1) during the second half of a SEC tournament semifinal game against Mississippi at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, March 14, 2026.
(ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN, ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Mar 15, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) guards Vanderbilt Commodores guard Duke Miles (2) during the first half during the men's SEC Conference Tournament Championship at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
(Steve Roberts, Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

Mar 15, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) celebrates after the men's SEC Conference Tournament Championship against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
(Steve Roberts, Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) rebounds against Hawaii Rainbow Warriors forward Isaac Finlinson (6) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) dribbles in the first half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
(Craig Strobeck, Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images)

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots against Hawaii Rainbow Warriors guard Hunter Erickson (0) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors forward Isaac Finlinson (6) drives against Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) in the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
(Craig Strobeck, Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images)

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots in the second half against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) drives against High Point Panthers guard Scotty Washington (12) in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
(Craig Strobeck, Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images)

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) celebrates with forward Malique Ewin (12) after a basket in the first half against the High Point Panthers during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) drives against High Point Panthers guard Chase Johnston (99) in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images
(Craig Strobeck, Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images)

Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots against High Point Panthers forward Braden Hausen (15) in the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
(Troy Wayrynen, Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images)

Mar 26, 2026; San Jose, CA, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots the ball against the Arizona Wildcats in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the West Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images
(Eakin Howard, Eakin Howard-Imagn Images)

Meleek Thomas stats at Arkansas

Thomas, in his freshman year with the Razorbacks, averaged 15.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 43.5% shooting from the floor and 41.6% from 3-point range. He made the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Meleek Thomas height, weight

Meleek Thomas stands 6-3 and weighs 185 pounds.

Mar 14, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) reacts after a made three point basket during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Meleek Thomas high school stats

Thomas began his high school career at Lincoln Park in Midland, Pa., which is near Pittsburgh, where he starred for three years before playing his final year at Overtime Elite in Atlanta. At Overtime Elite, he averaged 31.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists and 38.1% on 3-pointers during the regular season.

At Lincoln Park, he led the team to back-to-back WPIAL 4A championships in 2023 and 2024 and was selected 4A all-state both seasons. He averaged 23.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.3 steals per game as a junior for a 28-3 Lincoln Park team. He scored 1,750 points in three years at Lincoln Park.

Apr 1, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; McDonald's All American West guard Meleek Thomas (5) dribbles the ball against McDonald's All American East forward Trey McKenney (3) during the first half of the game at Barclays Center.

Meleek Thomas is a McDonald's All-American

A five-star recruit entering college, Thomas also was a 2025 McDonald's All-American, playing in the game that season at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Meleek Thomas high school honors

In addition to being a McDonald's All-American, Thomas participated in the Jordan Brand Classic and the Iverson Classic following his senior season.

He also was an honorable mention 2025 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Boys High School All-American. He was ranked No. 8 on the USA TODAY High School Sports basketball rankings of the top 15 players in the 2025 class.

Meleek Thomas played for Hall of Fame coach John Calipari at Arkansas

At Arkansas, Thomas played for John Calipari, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Calipari and Thomas are both from the Pittsburgh area.

Meleek Thomas helps Arkansas win SEC Tournament title

Thomas played a key role in the Hogs winning their first SEC Tournament title since 2000. He scored 13 points to go with five assists in the win over Vanderbilt in the title game.

Mar 14, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Meleek Thomas (1) and Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia (0) fight for the loose ball during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Meleek Thomas turned in Ironman performance in the SEC semifinals

Thomas came up huge in the semifinal win over Ole Miss, a 93-90 overtime win by the Razorbacks. Thomas played all 45 minutes, scoring a team-high 29 points to go with five assists and five rebounds.

Meleek Thomas played alongside lottery pick Darius Acuff Jr. at Arkansas

Thomas' starred in the backcourt at Arkansas alongside Darius Acuff Jr., who the Sacramento Kings selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft .

Ryan Lewis covers the Cavaliers for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs pick Meleek Thomas of Arkansas in NBA draft. Expert analysis

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