The Cleveland Cavaliers could, in theory, trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer. They could trade Evan Mobley and picks, land Antetokounmpo, and help Donovan Mitchell gun for a championship. But that move would likely destroy the franchise for years to come, setting them extremely far back.
Could a core of Mitchell, Antetokounmpo, and James Harden win a title? Sure. But they would probably still be underdogs against the New York Knicks. They still may struggle to beat the Detroit Pistons or Boston Celtics, depending on those teams’ offseasons. And they would still really struggle against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
So, while an Antetokounmpo trade would help Mitchell, it may end up ruining the Cavaliers’ future.
A Giannis Antetokounmpo trade could destroy the Cavaliers' future
At his best, Antetokounmpo is one of the best players on the planet. And swapping out Mobley for him would definitely be an upgrade. But it would be an extremely risky one.
On top of the injury issues Antetokounmpo has dealt with over the course of the past few years, the assets the Cavaliers would have to give up in a deal would certainly be scary.
Mobley would have to go. Almost certainly. Past that, the Bucks would still probably want some draft capital, and the Cavaliers don’t exactly have a ton of that to play around with.
Who knows? Maybe Milwaukee could also want one of the Cavs’ depth pieces. At that point, the Cavaliers would have to completely restructure things, and maybe even trade Jarrett Allen for a floor-spacing center to play next to Antetokounmpo and make the roster better-fitting for him.
If the Cavs did that and managed to win a title, then it would have all been worth it. But the likelihood of that seems slim, considering how much competition there is around the NBA right now.
And if they did all that just to fail in their quest to win a title, then trading away Mobley and picks could set the Cavs back years. That’s a dangerous place to be in.
In theory, Antetokounmpo would be a great deal. It would help Mitchell compete and keep him and Harden around as the backcourt in Cleveland for years (at least a few).
But it’s not worth the risks. It’s far too dangerous. An Antetokounmpo trade would put the entire future of the organization at risk.
All for the seemingly unlikely shot at winning a title with an aging core that just failed miserably in the postseason.
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