If the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Evan Mobley this summer, it must be to bring another star back -- and one who is a better fit with the team's other stars.
That doesn't mean the Cavs will trade Mobley, of course. They value him extremely highly, as most franchises do with a star they drafted and who developed on their watch. He is just one year removed from winning Defensive Player of the Year. He got MVP votes in 2024-25. He is hardly a chump.
As the Oklahoma City Thunder join the Cavaliers at home -- losing their conference finals in seven hard-fought games instead of an embarrassing four-game sweep -- they are facing existential questions of their own. Is the group they have in place good enough to go back to war with the Alien and his crew at The Alamo?
Could the Thunder trade for Evan Mobley?
One player who has been linked to the Thunder in the aftermath of their loss is Evan Mobley. The Thunder tried to trade up for him in the 2021 NBA Draft, and could come to Koby Atlman this summer and make another offer.
Few teams in the NBA have as much to offer in a trade as the Thunder do, laden as they are with extra draft picks, valuable role players and even recent first-round picks who haven't even played a competitive minute of NBA basketball yet. They could certainly make a massive offer for Mobley.
Cleveland will probably say no. But if they were to consider a Mobley trade, in the midst of all the glittering picks and prospects the Thunder can offer, the Cavaliers need to hang up unless one specific player is in the deal: Chet Holmgren.
Cleveland must demand Chet Holmgren
Just days after Holmgren no-showed Game 7 offensively (he was still a monster defensively, even if that's not fun to acknowledge on the talking-head shows) that may seem like an insane statement. He is starting a max contract this season. Why would the Cavaliers want Holmgren at all, let alone as the centerpiece of a Mobley return?
The answer is that he is one of the league's very best defenders, just as Mobley is. And on offense, while he lacks the strength and power that Mobley has inside, he counters with incredible shooting touch from the outside.
Adding Holmgren would allow the Cavaliers to maintain the defensive foundation of the double-big look, an absolute necessity since they continue to trot out two defensively-challenged guards in the backcourt. From Collin Sexton and Darius Garland to Garland and Donovan Mitchell to now Mitchell and James Harden, the reality is the same: the Cavs need two All-Defense bigs to make up for their two No-Defense guards.
On offense is where things would unlock. Mobley's creation abilities are less needed with Harden dominating the ball, but Holmgren is a weapon from the perimeter that would space the court and open up space for Harden and Mitchell inside. Running a pick-and-roll with Harden and Allen becomes exponentially more lethal when Holmgren is on the perimeter instead of Mobley.
Holmgren's stock is down, but he is still the reigning runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and he hit 88 3-pointers this season at a 36.2 percent clip. Before you say that Holmgren's rebounding would be a problem, he averaged 8.9 rebounds per game to Mobley's 9.0. That would be a wash.
Buying low on Holmgren would be a brilliant move for the Cavaliers. Could they trade Mobley to the Thunder for, say, Holmgren, Aaron Wiggins and a first? That would be incredible value for Cleveland and give them more salary flexibility moving forward.
Should the Cavaliers trade Evan Mobley? Probably not. If such a deal were to materialize from the Thunder, however, they should at least consider the deal. It could be the secret sauce they need to take a step forward next year.
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