NBA Insider Pitches Blockbuster Trade Centered Around Evan Mobley

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ryan Harris | Last updated May 17, 2025 3:19 PM ET

The NBA season is in the thick of the playoffs, and with conference finals approaching, trade rumors are circling with teams that have previously been eliminated from the playoffs.

One of those teams is the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost to the Indiana Pacers as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

A big rumor around the league is where Giannis Antetokounmpo will end up after a disappointing end with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cavaliers are a potential landing spot and have the pieces to trade for him, like star forward and former USC Trojans' Evan Mobley.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst speaks on ESPN Radio, saying that "if the Cavs have a chance to trade for Giannis, I would make that move."

The Cavaliers have an opportunity thanks to the unfortunate injury to Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles in their second round matchup with the New York Knicks.

While they got eliminated from the playoffs, the injury hurts Boston, as they will be without Tatum for a portion of next year, depending on his recovery. This could be seen as an opportunity to make a move to get them over the hump next season.

Trading for a perennial superstar in Antetokounmpo might be the way to go, however would come at a price of trading somebody like Mobley.

This past season, Mobley was nothing short of incredible, as he averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in route to him winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award.

Compared to Antetokounmpo, he is in the running for league MVP, and if a potential MVP every year is potentially up for grabs, the Cavaliers would be crazy to not go for it.

Whether a trade forms for two superstars in Mobley and Antetokounmpo will have to wait until the playoffs conclude. The upcoming month or two in the NBA offseason will shed more light on where the two-time MVP will go, and what the price for a trade will be.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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