Trading Evan Mobley has long been considered an unthinkable route for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but circumstances have changed of late.
Since the Cavs acquired James Harden, The Beard has established immaculate chemistry with Jarrett Allen, particularly in games that Mobley has missed due to injury.
Before Mobley returned, Allen was looking like a superstar center, and the Cavs looked like the best team in the Eastern Conference. Some Cavs fans might've even experienced private concerns that Mobley's return would mess up the good vibes, and a Cleveland radio host just voiced a similar sentiment loud and clear.
Cleveland radio host says the Cavs should consider trading Evan Mobley
“Call me crazy, but if the Cavs don’t go far in the playoffs this year, I would look at moving Mobley,” ESPN Cleveland's Tony Rizzo said on Thursday morning.
In continuing his argument, Rizzo exercised rationale. First, he acknowledged that Allen isn't necessarily a better player than Mobley in a head-to-head comparison.
Next, Rizzo pointed out what's mentioned above -- that the Cavs looked the best they have all season when Allen and Harden were operating without Mobley in the picture.
Since the trade, the Cavs are 4-0 when Allen and Harden play and Mobley doesn't. Allen is averaging 24.5 points and 11.5 rebounds in those games. It goes without saying that those are All-Star/starting center type numbers.
If you're wondering what the current Cavs would like without Mobley on the team, those four games -- though a small sample size -- suggest that they'd be A-okay. (By the way, those four contests featured wins against the Denver Nuggets and upstart Charlotte Hornets.)
The first step to seriously considering a Mobley trade, as Rizzo is doing in real time, is to acknowledge -- or at least consider the possibility -- that the Cavs are an equal or better basketball team without Mobley.
This acknowledgement falls directly in line with the theory that a winning NBA team is more than the mere sum of its parts. Chemistry matters. Assembling a contender isn't just about stockpiling talent. It's all about fit.
Harden and Allen are a tremendous fit, and the jury's still out on whether the same can be said about the trio of Harden, Allen, and Mobley, or even the duo of Harden and Mobley.
If the Cavaliers' leadership were to actually ask themselves the above questions, it probably would only happen if and when Cleveland suffers an earlier-than-desired playoff exit this year (in other words, before the NBA Finals or Eastern Conference Finals), as alluded to by Rizzo.
Trading Mobley this offseason would net the Cavaliers a massive return of future draft capital, even if his value has depreciated slightly since last season, when he was a year younger and named Defensive Player of the Year.
Don't expect the Cavaliers to entertain any of this. After all, it would represent no less than an Earth-shattering change of direction for the franchise, which has committed nearly $270 million to Mobley through the 2029-30 NBA season.
Only Allen and Sam Merrill are under contract to a comparable extent, each locked in through 2028-29.
Thus, this Mobley idea still sounds outrageous to say out loud. But if you listen to the voice within, it's starting to resemble a low-key masterful move.