ESPN's Ramona Shelburne added more fuel to the Cleveland Cavaliers-Giannis Antetokounmpo fire on Friday when she reported that a certain player is what the Bucks would be looking for in a trade.
"The players the Bucks did seem interested in were younger building blocks such as VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers or Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said."
Sounds great, right? If the Cavaliers are another early playoff exit, they can pivot to an Antetokounmpo trade, and everything will be sunshine and rainbows. Well, not exactly. As Brian Windhorst pointed out, Cleveland would lose Mobley and its assets to land Giannis on top of extending him.
"Are you ready to trade everything you've got in the cupboard and then sign him to $270 million 5 year extension? I'm not saying that I would say no, but that's something you've gotta consider," - @WindhorstESPN on the injury concerns around Giannis. https://t.co/JzNoBhVtc2 pic.twitter.com/0LPtxP1jYb
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) March 20, 2026
Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. There is no denying that. He can still help lead another team to an NBA championship, but his injury history is a growing concern.
Giannis' injury history should make Cavaliers think twice
He has played just 36 games this season due to calf, ankle, groin, and knee injuries. Giannis may not play in another game, as he's currently out with a bone bruise in his left knee from a hyperextension. As Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported, the star wants to play again this season, but the Bucks understandably don't want him to risk getting hurt again.
In the first six seasons of Antetokounmpo's career, he played at least 72 games, hitting the 80+ mark three times. Since then, though, he has played 70+ games (73) once, and that was in 2023-24. Those injuries have carried over to the playoffs: he didn't play at all in the Bucks' first-round series loss to the Pacers in 2024, and he got hurt in Game 1 of the first round in 2023, returning in Game 4.
Antetokounmpo isn't getting any younger (he will turn 32 in December), and the last thing Cleveland would want is to trade for him, only for injuries to hold him and the team back.
If the Cavaliers are in a position where they can get Giannis this summer, will an extension prevent them from going all-in? You don't want to acquire him and not get a deal done, because that'd risk him leaving next summer. Is losing Mobley, a mix of other players, plus assets, too much of a risk for Cleveland, on top of extending Antetokounmpo?
These are the kinds of questions that the front office is already thinking about, as are others around the league. You'd assume that if Giannis wants to go to the Cavaliers, they will do their best to get a deal done, even with the extension. He's the kind of player who is available once in a blue moon, after all.