The Portland Trail Blazers are keeping a close eye on the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, whether it's to come away with the superstar directly or facilitate a multi-team deal for a secondary star.
One under-the-radar team exploring interest in Giannis dating back to February's trade deadline was the Cleveland Cavaliers. From Portland's standpoint, that was an intriuging landing spot for Giannis, as it opened the possibility of the Blazers stealing Evan Mobley to bolster their defensive identity.
However, it looks like Milwaukee and Portland must now look elsewhere for a trade partner in a multi-team Giannis blockbuster, as NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report Cleveland is "unlikely to factor into the trade chase for Antetokounmpo this summer."
Blazers just lost their best path to Evan Mobley
It's a similar dilemma the Blazers face in landing Giannis directly: the risk of a one-year rental if Giannis doesn't commit to staying long-term. The Blazers and Cavaliers may have the young assets required to get the deal done, but as The Stein Line reports, they won't surrender them unless they can get assurance that Giannis will stay.
"Another obstacle for the Bucks: Mobley, at 24, is regarded in Cleveland as the sort of player who could offer a legitimate bridge to a successful post-Mitchell future. The Cavaliers, remembering how hard life was after James walked away from the franchise — twice — are obviously reluctant to surrender Mobley and the staying power he is projected to represent unless it's a sure-thing trade."
The headliner star could shift to Donovan Mitchell, though that seems unlikely to materialize as well. Stein adds that Mitchell is extension eligible on July 7, and there is mutual interest between Mitchell and Cleveland in staying as their face of the franchise.
Even if he were to be made available, the idea of Portland landing Mitchell doesn't seem as appealing as Mobley. The latter fills a major frontcourt void, aligns with the timeline of their young core, and doubles down on their defensive identity.
Portland's roster is finally a formula built for postseason success. Considering the playoff shortcomings they had with the Lillard and CJ McCollum duo, do they really want to run back something similar with a Lillard and Mitchell backcourt? It's an imperfect fit, but likely isn't even on the table anyway.
Giannis' player option gives him leverage in deciding on his landing spot. It's more likely than not that it will be an Eastern Conference team, as he values the easier path to the Finals. But it sounds like Cleveland will no longer be in the running.
Milwaukee, and by extension Portland, will have to look elsewhere, taking Mobley off the table as what would've been an ideal consolation prize if the Blazers can't win the Giannis sweepstakes outright.
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