We are three weeks into May and we all expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to still be playing playoff basketball at this point. Unfortunately, it is another abrupt postseason exit for the Wine and Gold, and this one stings the most.
The Cavs raced through the regular season, winning 64 games and getting the East’s number one seed. They quickly disposed of the Miami Heat in round one by sweeping them, but then ran into the buzz saw that is the Indiana Pacers and were bounced in five games. From injuries to a jarring lack of composure to bad shooting at the worst time, Cleveland’s early exit will be a tough pill to swallow.
With the Cavs offseason comes trade rumors and once again, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman shot those down. In his end of season press conference, Altman said that the team will not be reactionary to this year’s finish and will have the same core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen next season.
That hasn’t stopped people from going into the trade machine and figuring out ways to reset Cleveland. The most interesting proposal came from The Ringer’s Bill Simmons between the Cavs and the Milwaukee Bucks:
The Cleveland Cavaliers would be unwise to trade Evan Mobley for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo is reportedly considering other options outside of Milwaukee for the first time in his career and could be on the trade market this offseason. If he is on the market though, the Cavs should not pursue him, especially if it means giving up Mobley.
There is no denying that Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the world. He has finished top five in MVP voting each of the last seven years and is one of the best two-way stars in the game today. He is an All-NBA player, an MVP, and a champion. So why should Cleveland decline this trade?
Antetokounmpo turns 31 this December and has a game that is predicated on athleticism and speed. While he has made great strides as a jump shooter, specifically in the mid-range, adding a 30-year old big man to the mix drastically changes the Cavs’ championship window. As of right now, the Cavs do not have a rotational player that is over 29 years old. They are young with a lot of room to grow. Trading for Antetokounmpo shortens their championship window.
Speaking of growth, Mobley is only 23-years old and is coming off the best season of his career. He was named an All-Star for the first time, won the Defensive Player of the Year, and will likely be named All-NBA in the coming weeks. He is just scratching the surface of how good he can be and is not even close to the prime years of his career. As Mitchell said during the season, this is the worst version we’ll see of Mobley. So imagine what the best version of him can be?
Secondly, as Simmons ignored, the Cavs can’t even trade Mobley for Antetokounmpo straight up. Cleveland is a second apron team, which means they cannot take on additional money in trades. They would have to add another player to the deal and given Antetokounmpo’s stature, the Bucks are likely going to want one of Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen to accompany Mobley. That is a hefty price to pay.
Mobley has an entire runway of good years ahead of him and has more years of elite play left than Antetokounmpo does. Trading Mobley for Antetokounmpo would be the worst move the Cavs could make for their long term future.