The day everyone was pleading for has finally come. After relentless stubbornness in trying to make things work, the Milwaukee Bucks have been forced to admit what the rest of the NBA world has know for ages — it's time to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Shams Charania reported on X, "Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready for a new home at the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline or in the offseason as several rival teams make aggressive offers to the Milwaukee Bucks for him, and the franchise is starting to listen, league sources tell ESPN."
Make no mistake about it, if a trade involving Antetokounmpo happens before Feb. 5, there is no shot the Cleveland Cavaliers are involved. Overcoming the second apron will just be too much in present times. However, Charania did note this could take until the offseason.
If that is the case, the Cavaliers are a couple of financially-conscious moves away from throwing themselves into the mix. Cleveland's best offer would largely depend on how highly the Bucks view the best young player on the Cavs roster.
Evan Mobley would be the centerpiece of any serious Cavaliers pursuit of Giannis Antetokounmpo
If the Cavaliers want to speed up the win-now window in Cleveland, they could certainly attempt as much with Evan Mobley being at the forefront of a trade package for Giannis. That hypothetical move depends on how well the reputation of the Cavs big man holds up after this season.
Should the Cavaliers duck under the second apron, matching salaries with Mobley and Antetokounmpo in the mix is not too difficult. The Cavs star is making $50.1 million starting in 2026-27. Meanwhile, Giannis would be around $58.5 million. That is a gap that can be closed.
The real hurdle is whether Mobley still carries enough intrigue as a young player with major upside. 2025-26 has undoubtedly delivered a hit to that momentum.
Mobley has failed to take a significant leap in his development this season. The rising star has even regressed, at the very least from a statistical standpoint, in a lot of areas for the Cavaliers during the current campaign.
Should the Bucks still believe in the upside of Mobley that many were selling themselves on during this past offseason, the Cavaliers big would be one of the most talented names who can be offered as a building block for Milwaukee's present and future. Few teams could compete with that.
Such a trade would represent a massive shift in aggressiveness for the Cavaliers. However, past events involving Donovan Mitchell should hint at opportunism never really being off the table in Cleveland.