Glenn Kaplan
The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Evan Mobley with the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft from the USC Trojans. Mobley over the last five seasons has taken necessary steps to become a very good NBA player. He won the defensive player of the year award during the 2024-2025 NBA season. Mobley is only 24 years old, and he has a lot of bright seasons ahead of him. The former USC basketball player will still have four seasons remaining on his contract.
With Mobley locked up for the next four seasons, there are debates whether or not it makes sense to even trade him. He still has a lot of room to grow in the NBA. Last season with Cleveland, he averaged 18.2 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.7 BPG, and 0.7 SPG. Those are good numbers for him, and he was also solid for the Cavaliers in the playoffs. Mobley showed growth against the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons before they lost to the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Is there any chance that this franchise would move him this offseason?
CBS Sports NBA Insider Sam Quinn suggests the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Evan Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Cavaliers should not trade Mobley for the sake of making a move. There are only a couple of players that Cleveland should consider getting in a trade that would send Mobley away. Sam Quinn of CBS Sports thinks that the Cavaliers should try and trade Mobley for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason. Quinn said, “Mobley is about as good as supporting players get. A monster defender and a sorely underrated passer, he even shot well from 3-point range in the playoffs after a down year. But he hasn’t grown into the sort of alpha superstar Cleveland hoped he’d be. Antetokounmpo is that player, and if the Cavaliers think they need one, Mobley is their only realistic path there.”
The Bucks have drawn interest in the Cavaliers forward during the 2026 NBA trade deadline, but Cleveland was not interested in trading him. There is a chance that the Cavaliers decide to stay pat this offseason. Giannis may also want to go elsewhere. There is a chance that he would rather be traded to the Miami Heat than the Cavaliers anyways. Many teams are going to be involved in the Giannis sweepstakes. Alongside the Cavaliers and the Heat, some other teams to potentially watch out for will be the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors.
Potential Giannis Trade Package
If they are going to put together a Giannis-Mobley trade package, it is going to have be more than just a swap. Cleveland is probably also going to have to give up Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus, a 2026 first-round draft pick, and a 2031 first-round draft pick. That might be enough for Milwaukee to accept the trade to land Giannis in Cleveland for Mobley. This trade would no doubt be a big time blockbuster trade across the NBA landscape. If that doesn’t happen, then the Cavaliers should not bother trading him.
