The Cleveland Cavaliers became the first team to pull off a Trade Deadline move, agreeing to a deal with the Sacramento Kings Saturday night to trade De'Andre Hunter and a second-round pick out the door in exchange for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis.
The deal gives them a defensive replacement for Max Strus on the wing and gets them out of the Hunter contract. As many have noted, it also reduces the Cavaliers' team salary, saving them tens of millions in luxury tax payments and getting them within spitting distance of the second tax apron line.
Getting below that second apron line would not only save owner Dan Gilbert a lot of money, it would also reset the clock on the punitive measures that being over the second apron brings, including frozen draft picks. It would make sense for Cleveland to want to get out of the second apron on its own.
What getting below the second apron line would also do, however, is allow them to start aggregating players in trades. In short, it would allow them to combine two or more players together to match the salary of a more expensive player. A player, for example, like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
A plan to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming together
It's no secret to any NBA fan with a pulse that Giannis Antetokounmpo is ready to be traded. He is bending over backwards not to make an official trade demand, but he is "ready for a new home" and the Bucks are "newly open to listening to trade offers."
The Cavaliers are a team that is unafraid of big swings and would love to add a Top-5 player still in his prime, but there are two primary obstacles. The first is that they are over the second apron, and legally they cannot add salaries together to trade for Giannis without shedding enough to get below the second tax apron.
With the Hunter deal, the Cavaliers are now within shouting distance of that line. They have already been linked to the Washington Wizards for a trade to move off of Lonzo Ball, and the Wizards have enough salary flexibility to take his entire contract on. That would bring the Cavs just a few million from the second apron line.
That puts a deal in play - if they can get over the second hurdle. The Cavs have to incentivize the Bucks to trade them Antetokounmpo, and that is no easy task. Cleveland has just one first-round pick free and able to trade right now, while many other suitors can come in with much larger packages. To get in the running, the Cavaliers would need to build a package around players that interest Milwaukee.
With Darius Garland's value at something of a nadir, and Jarrett Allen about to get more expensive, a rebuilding Bucks team likely doesn't want a package built around those two. While Jaylon Tyson is having his breakout moment, he isn't valuable enough to headline such a deal.
That leads to the obvious landing spot: to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Cavaliers would need to give up Evan Mobley.
Could Cavaliers trade Evan Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
The DeAndre Hunter trade was the first domino to fall. Next, the Cavaliers could build a 3-team trade involving the Wizards to take on the contract of Lonzo Ball at the cost of a pair of second-round picks. For the Bucks, they would get Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Cleveland's 2031 first-round pick, completely unprotected.
The Bucks get a franchise cornerstone to build around, and they could then decide whether to enter a full rebuild or a shorter retooling period. Mobley is a Top-25 player in the NBA, is young with upside to continue growing, and can be the defensive cornerstone of a team. He doesn't hold the same value as Giannis, but he might be close enough to get the deal done with the single first. Max Strus can be shut down for the year and then be an attractive expiring contract this summer.
Does this make the Cavaliers good enough in the present? The core of the team essentially remains the same with Giannis Antetokounmpo swapped in for Evan Mobley. As good as Mobley is and as high as his future upside is, in the present this is a significant improvement. When healthy, Antetokounmpo is a top-3 player in the NBA.
With Mitchell playing like a fringe Top-10 player in the NBA this season, that would give the Cavaliers two elite players to go to war with. The starting lineup would be filled in with Darius Garland, Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen -- that's another two Top-50 players at worst and a versatile young wing. That would be the best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference.
The bench would not be bereft of talent, either. Denis Schroder and Craig Porter Jr. at backup point guard, Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis on the wing, Dean Wade and Larry Nance Jr. at the forward positions. Nae'Kwon Tomlin would get elevated to a full contract and would be in the mix at backup forward. The Cavs would need to fill one last roster spot and would be a player on the buyout market. Could they sign Khris Middleton? Bring back Kevin Love?
After this trade, the Cavaliers would be the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference, and they would have the high-end talent to challenge their opponent in the Western Conference. They likely would not be the clear title favorite given the talent of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets, but they would be close enough. This would be a trade worth doing. It would shorten their overall window because of the age difference between Antetokounmpo and Mobley, but it would be worth it.
Is this trade likely? No, because no blockbuster trade for a superstar is ever likely. Is it possible? Absolutely, and when a player like Antetokounmpo hits the trade market, you think through all the possibilities.
Giannis. Mitchell. a Cleveland Cavaliers Finals run. It's the stuff of dreams, and it's closer than ever as the trade deadline approaches.