For years, the Cleveland Cavaliers waited for Evan Mobley's breakout. He took a huge leap last season, running away with Defensive Player of the Year honors after Victor Wembanyama went down and expanding his range on offense.
However, as good and valuable as he is, he has yet to take another step as the two-way superstar player most scouts and fans thought he'd be. He's still a dominant force on defense, but his development kind of stalled on offense and as a whole.
That's why the Cavs may not feel the same way about him anymore, according to Brian Windhorst. Talking on ESPN Cleveland radio, the renowned insider argued the James Harden trade showed that this organization is now building the roster around Donovan Mitchell.
Mobley is no longer being treated like Cleveland’s co-franchise centerpiece
"There was this type of 'let's share the load' situation largely because there was this belief that Evan could be that type of player," Windhorst said.
Windhorst argued that the Cavaliers are now trying to figure out the best way to maximize Mitchell, knowing that they will probably only go as far as he can take them. Mitchell has yet to advance from the second round of the NBA Playoffs, and giving him a first-ballot Hall of Famer to join him in the backcourt might be just what he needs.
Of course, this has been Mitchell's team from the moment they traded for him. Nonetheless, it looks like they expected Mobley to take the keys to ignition at some point, and that just hasn't been the case thus far.
That's not to say that they're not committed to him or that they don't think he's going to be a star, but they're just pivoting toward a guy who's ready to lead the way now and not in a couple of years. That makes perfect sense, and it doesn't mean they're giving up on him.
Mobley is extremely talented -- he might even be the most talented player on the entire team. He has the potential to be a Kevin Garnett-Anthony Davis type of disruptive force on both ends of the floor. Sadly, that hasn't materialized yet for Cleveland.
Even if it might still happen at some point, the Cavs are clearly done waiting. They want to win now, and with the moves they made at the trade deadline, they showed they're finally done betting on hypotheticals.