The Cleveland Cavaliers have quietly emerged as a potential landing spot for Giannis Antetokounmpo. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported via The Stein Line that Cleveland expressed interest in acquiring Giannis at the deadline, but was told it would require Evan Mobley and all their available draft capital.
That's certainly a steep price, but whether Cleveland revisits those trade talks in the summer could depend on how the rest of the postseason plays out. Donovan Mitchell only has one guaranteed season remaining on his contract, and it remains to be seen whether he'll agree to an extension if the Cavaliers fall short in the playoffs yet again. Meanwhile, newly acquired star James Harden is 36 with a $42.3 million player option for next season.
By swapping Darius Garland for Harden at the deadline, Cleveland boosted its championship odds in the short term but also gave itself a much smaller window to win with this core. Sacrificing the future to land someone of Giannis' caliber makes a bit more sense as a follow-up move from that standpoint.
If that is the route the Cavaliers decide to take this offseason, the Portland Trail Blazers should absolutely be trying to include themselves as a facilitator in a potential multi-team deal.
Blazers should target Evan Mobley by facilitating a Giannis-Cavs trade
At that point, Mobley would fit the Bucks' rebuilding timeline at 24, giving them a fresh star to build around. But the top priority should still be recouping their draft capital, as initiating a full-on roster teardown would be a better option to raise their ceiling down the road. If Milwaukee were able to land all of Cleveland's picks and get its own picks back from Portland in the process, that would be an intriguing path to take.
Blazers general manager Joe Cronin has proven in past moves that he's not afraid to sacrifice future picks to land a more established player who fits their rebuilding timeline, most notably in the Deni Avdija deal. Mobley wouldn't come at a discount like Avdija, but he'd be a perfect addition to this young core, both in terms of timeline and roster fit.
The Blazers doubled down on their defensive identity last summer, but it didn't quite translate as many expected. Despite the elite individual defensive weapons, Portland's 113.5 defensive rating was middle-of-the-pack.
Some of those issues lie in their frontcourt. What is supposed to be a strength with Donovan Clingan anchoring the middle can oftentimes become a weakness, depending on the particular matchup. Stretch fives and quicker bigs exploited Clingan's drop coverage.
Robert Williams III addresses that well as one of the league's best backups, but Portland can't fully rely on him given his injury history and expiring contract.
If they want a more sustainable solution, trading for a versatile star like Mobley would solve a lot of their problems going forward. Trading for last season's Defensive Player of the Year could be the missing piece for Portland to truly become that elite defense they envision.
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