[Fedor] Cavs love Mobley, they believe in him and there are multiple members of the Cleveland brain trust that would be vehemently against a Giannis-Mobley swap, as the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year and Second-Team All-NBA selection is viewed as not only a future star but also a proverbial…..
When rivals buzz Altman’s phone, looking to determine Cleveland’s direction, it’s not to express interest in lower tiered players. Those talks typically begin with Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, youngster Jaylon Tyson and possibly swingman Max Strus who is on an expiring contract.
Unless the Cavs opt for small moves around the margins, certainly a possibility given what Altman said Friday, at least one of those players would need to be sent away.
Cleveland also has the No. 29 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft from San Antonio, which can legally be dealt on draft night. The Cavs can also move one first-rounder (2031 or 2032) — an asset that could be used as a potential trade sweetener.
Nonetheless, compared to other competitors around the league, Cleveland is not exactly rich with trade capital — unless there’s a willingness to move Mobley, the alluring franchise pillar who would be viewed as a genuine trade centerpiece, if not for the front office’s steadfast commitment to Mobley being a Cavalier.
Yes, even with Antetokounmpo on the trade block.
“We’re not going to speculate on any players outside these walls,” Altman said Friday when that topic came up. “All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league. Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Mobley is the linchpin to any big-ticket maneuver.
Giannis. Kawhi Leonard. Jaylen Brown. Jalen Williams.
Every one of those teams — Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Boston, Oklahoma City — would demand Mobley because of his combination of age, skill, résumé and perceived upside. Plus, the Cavs can’t cobble together a draft-pick-rich package. From Milwaukee’s standpoint, Mobley is quite possibly the single-best player entity it could acquire, and the salary is close enough that it wouldn’t cause an exorbitant amount of cap gymnastics.
The problem: The Cavs love Mobley, they believe in him and there are multiple members of the Cleveland brain trust that would be vehemently against a Giannis-Mobley swap, as the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year and Second-Team All-NBA selection is viewed as not only a future star but also a proverbial safety net when it comes to another rebuild.
There’s also the matter of Antetokounmpo’s contract. Would he be willing to extend in Cleveland beyond the one guaranteed season left on his current deal? Would the Cavs surrender one of their best players — and most attractive trade asset — with so much uncertainty surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future? At 31 years old, with a few leg-related injuries, it’s far from a no-brainer.
Then again, it’s Giannis, a proven champion capable of pushing Mitchell to the second spot in the franchise pecking order.
“We are very fortunate to have drafted Evan Mobley in a spectacular rookie class,” Altman said. “You think about that rookie class, right? Cade Cunningham, right? MVP candidate. Scottie Barnes, who has emerged to be one of the best players in the NBA. We saw that for seven games. That was not fun. Franz Wagner. Evan Mobley. That’s a spectacular class, and out of those guys, who’s the first to the conference finals? Evan Mobley. We have to take pride in that. It’s easy to knock someone down. He’s a franchise-caliber player, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”
Altman went on to call Mobley the team’s “best player throughout the playoffs,” and said the next step for Mobley is to add muscle and girth to his lanky frame.
What about Allen, the guy who was actually, statistically, the team’s most impactful guy?
His contract increases over the next few years, set to make \(28 million in 2026-27, \)30.2 million the following year and then $32.4 million in 2028-29, before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
After a successful regular season together, the Allen-Mobley pairing was outscored by 3.9 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs.
“Those two fit really well together, and, and we’re excited about their future together,” Altman said. “We need them. They’re almost like our cheat code in terms of defensive prowess, but also in terms of our net rating when they’re on the floor together.”
The LeBron-related conversation is complicated. Isn’t it always? And given Cleveland’s current salary situation, it could lead to multiple roster-related casualties. A Strus salary dump? Dean Wade sign-and-trade?
LeBron made \(52.6 million this past season in Los Angeles. The most the Cavs can currently offer, unless they free up more salary cap space first, is the measly veteran’s minimum contract worth \)3.9 million.
Would James, who has spent two decades fighting for unique player-friendly contracts, putting pressure on organizations and pushing player empowerment initiatives, willingly agree to a 40-plus million pay cut? Would he be OK making less than Sam Merrill?
The other option would be a sign-and-trade. In that scenario, the Cavs would have to give James a three-year contract, with only the first year guaranteed. But that could be costly — from a personnel standpoint. What would the salary look like? Who would be sent to Los Angeles?
There’s no question the underachieving Cavaliers would benefit greatly from James’ unquantifiable leadership, mental toughness and playoff genius. He would fill their greatest positional hole at small forward. Given how the season ended, Cleveland is not in any position to turn its back on LeBron. But it also isn’t in position to bend over backwards for him either.