Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
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Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Before the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled a trade-deadline surprise and shipped out Darius Garland to the Clippers in a deal for disgruntled guard James Harden, the Cavs had made other inquiries. They were concerned, as they had been for the past year, about Garland’s health and increasingly, they were trying to find a way to work around their status as a luxury-tax apron team and make a deal for a superstar. Top of the list: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
They were also concerned about the future of Donovan Mitchell, who will be eligible for a contract extension worth as much as $380 million over five years next summer (2027), once he has completed his 10th season. His current contract, a three-year, $150 million extension with a third-year player option, was set up so that he could be a free agent in 2027, and eligible for a mega-deal.
There’s some question of whether Mitchell will sign a new deal, though. That was a motivation behind the Harden trade–the Cavaliers are under some pressure to prove to Mitchell they can compete for a championship, and can do it now. That was the motivation for seeking an Antetokounmpo trade, too. And that motivation hasn’t really gone anywhere.
Cavaliers Will Still Be in the Giannis Antetokounmpo Mix
Just as the possibility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo trade was at the top of the NBA agenda at the trade deadline, so it will be at the top in this offseason. The Bucks have gone back-and-forth on the possibility of moving Antetokounmpo, and that ambivalence has been frustrating for teams all over the league. But the longer the Bucks wait, the more likely their return value is going to plummet. This summer is expected to be their last best chance.
That’s where the Cavaliers come in. There will be multiple suitors for Antetokounmpo, but the Cavaliers can offer the best young player the Bucks would have a chance of getting in a deal–Evan Mobley. When the Cavs inquired about Antetokounmpo in January, it was Mobley the Bucks wanted.
As good as Mobley has been and as high as his ceiling is, the Cavaliers would have to weigh the move. While Cleveland has been very good since a mediocre start to the season, they’re still a longshot to win the East, or even reach the conference finals. If they flop again, changes will be afoot.
“It’s Defcon 5 for the Mitchell stuff if they don’t go to the Finals or at least the East finals,” one Eastern Conference exec said. “So, they can put (Evan) Mobley on the table and another player and that’s a tough thing for the Bucks to say no to.”
Cavaliers Have Multiple Factors to Weigh
There would be a lot to unpack in putting Mobley into an Antetokounmpo trade. He’s averaging 18.3 points and 8.9 rebounds, and is an excellent and versatile big man for the Cavaliers. But there has long been a sense that he has not shot up in production the way he might if he was more of a featured option on another team. The Bucks, for example.
Trading for Antetokounmpo gets complicated, too, by the fact that he is also in need of a contract extension, worth $275 million over five years.
Mitchell is 29, but Antetokounmpo is 31. If a trade is made, the Cavaliers would be in position to commit about $650 million to the pair of them in contract extensions. They’ll probably give Harden a two-year deal in the range of $60 million.
Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers could be a Lakers trade target this summer.
GettyEvan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers
Giannis Antetokounmpo a ‘Good Option’
But in the end, the question for the Cavaliers would be whether they can remain a factor in the Eastern Conference or if they’ll eventually have to trade away Mitchell and go through some form of rebuilding (keeping Mobley and Jarrett Allen would mean it’s more retooling than rebuilding).
Adding Harden, then Antetokounmpo gives Cleveland a short window. They’d also have to consider whether LeBron James is serious about coming back to Northeast Ohio, and weigh that into a decision to pursue an Antetokounmpo trade.
“They have good options,” the exec said. “They’re worried about keeping Mitchell and what about Harden and Mobley and all of that–but look, they’ve got these guys in the building. For a long time, they couldn’t get players like that in Cleveland. They have some leverage here. People want their players, and players want to play with their players. That’s not a bad place to be.”
That’s true, with or without Giannis.