If asked, should Cavs trade Evan Mobley for Kevin Durant?

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Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets. Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images /

Should Cavs trade Evan Mobley for Kevin Durant? Why Cavs would do it

It’s right for fans of the Cavaliers to balk at the idea of trading Evan Mobey. He seems like one of the most untouchable players in the league, and he probably is. Why would the Cavs trade a 21-year-old rising star for an expensive 33-year-old?

The answer is that having Kevin Durant on your team immediately puts you in the title picture. He is one of the five best players in the league, an offense unto himself and an impactful defender. His versatility allows him to fit in a variety of lineups, and he can excel on and off-ball.

Last year, in his age 33 season, Durant averaged 29.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. A player has averaged at least 29 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists just 14 other times in NBA history, and all of those players are Hall of Famers. Add in a reasonable benchmark of 3-point shooting and the list essentially becomes Durant, LeBron James and James Harden.

Durant clearly still has a lot left in the tank. Even playing on a team where every other rotation player was in-and-out of the lineup around him, Durant ranked fifth in Estimated Plus-Minus. His true shooting percentage of 64 percent was the highest of any non-big with a decent shot load (Gary Payton II and Grant Williams technically ranked above him, but both were dependent players).

Durant’s shooting allows him to thrive off-ball while warping a defense towards him, and his ball-handling, passing and ability to pull up over any contest make him one of the league’s most lethal on-ball players. He and Darius Garland would have a tremendous two-man game, and Jarrett Allen would give Durant a backline presence he hasn’t played with since Draymond Green.

A Cavaliers starting lineup of Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Durant and Evan Mobley would be decent defensively and absolutely nasty on offense. Add in Sexton as a Sixth Man, with Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens, Ochai Agbaji and a couple of veteran free agents at the 1 and the 5, and this team would immediately be a contender to win the Eastern Conference.