The Cleveland Cavaliers are balanced on the edge of a knife, with disaster on either side and only a narrow path forward to saving this version of the team. If it all falls apart, the Cavs will need to ask some difficult questions -- and the answer might be to trade Evan Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
As with all bold solutions, the beginning of the process is identifying a complex problem. The Cavs were supposed to mow through the Eastern Conference this season and redeem their postseason failings by finally winning the East and reaching the NBA Finals.
The Cavaliers are struggling
That obviously didn't happen, and the Cavaliers endured an injury-riddled, disappointment-laced season where they ended up with the East's 4-seed and just 52 wins a season after winning 64. Darius Garland was flipped for James Harden at the Trade Deadline, a move that reeked of desperation.
Things are much worse now that the playoffs have begun. After two dominant wins, Cleveland has let go of the rope, losing two straight to the Toronto Raptors. Harden has turned into the bearded pumpkin everyone knew he was, Donovan Mitchell has been wildly inconsistent, and Scottie Barnes is dancing all over an open grave, ready to bury the Cavaliers in it.
At the center of the failure is Evan Mobley. The young big man was supposed to be the centerpiece of the future, one of the league's best defenders whose size and strength on offense were going to overwhelm opponents. Too skilled for centers to defend him, too strong for forwards, that sort of thing.
Evan Mobley has been a disaster
Instead, Mobley has drawn into himself the last couple of games, with arch-nemesis Barnes playing like a superstar and a rookie -- yes, rookie Collin Murray-Boyles -- outplaying him on both ends. In Games 3 and 4, Mobley shot 8-for-24 from the field (33 percent), 0-for-7 from 3-point range, with just 11.5 points per game. The Cavs were outscored by 33 points in his minutes between those two games.
Mobley has not leveled up as this team needed him to do; the defense is mostly there, but the offense has stagnated. After making All-NBA Second Team last year, he didn't sniff even the All-Star Game this time around. He is not a bad player, but he hasn't become the superstar they need.
What to do? If the Raptors continue their dominance and upset the Cavaliers in the first round, heads will roll in Cleveland. But whose heads? Moving on from James Harden could be easier said than done. Mitchell is the team's offensive engine. Finding a suitor for Jarrett Allen feels like moving deck chairs on the Titanic; the team has to substantively change its identity.
That leads to finding a new home for Evan Mobley. Trading him could allow for enough of a return to reshape the team into a different kind of contender. But that means finding a team ready to build around Mobley, which might be a tall task given his struggles. The same reason the Cavaliers want to trade him will make it difficult to trade him for enough value.
Trade Mobley for Antetokounmpo?
Enter the Milwaukee Bucks. They will be spending the summer looking for a new home for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Ideally, they could turn him into a younger star to build around rather than merely draft picks, given that lottery reform has made the value of picks uncertain. Not controlling their own picks for the next few years, having the surety of a young star seems like it would appeal more to the Bucks.
That's where the two sides come together. The Cavs can trade for a player in Antetokounmpo who is everything that they need from Mobley and are not getting on offense: he truly is too strong to be stopped, can handle in the open court, and is a proven playoff performer.
The Cavaliers already threw the timeline out the window when they traded for Harden, so this would be an all-out commitment to winning a title next season. Antetokounmpo is one of the few players they could get back for Mobley who would actually make the team better.
Is it guaranteed to work? Certainly not. Harden is still a ticking time bomb in the playoffs. Mitchell has his own playoff demons. Antetokounmpo has to be healthy. But if Cleveland decides it needs to trade Mobley but wants an actual chance at a title next season, this might be the best path.
Paging the Greek Freak: who is ready to win?
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