NBA rumors: Evan Mobley could be key to Cavs’ all-in Giannis Antetokounmpo trade push

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision to trade Darius Garland and a second-round pick for James Harden, who is 10 years older than Garland, is rather telling: they believe that the time to win is now. Under the current CBA, the punishments for staying in the second apron are rather punitive, and rumor has it that the Cavs brass is giving the team two years to try and get over the hump.

To that end, the Cavs may end up being even more aggressive on the trade market — somehow finding themselves right in the mix for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who remains a likely trade candidate amid the Milwaukee Bucks’ bleak short-term future outlook.

Trading Garland, however, is another thing entirely compared to what it would take to bring Antetokounmpo, with the Bucks likely to demand all the draft capital in the world in addition to 24-year-old and reigning DPOY Evan Mobley.

While there are no concrete indicators that the Cavs might be willing to trade Mobley for Antetokounmpo, being open to the possibility could vault Cleveland atop the list of suitors for the Bucks star.

“What if they offered Evan Mobley, their 2031 first-round pick, and a 2032 first-round swap? That package right there is probably better than anything you could find on the market because Evan Mobley would fetch you at least three, maybe even four first round picks on the market right now,” ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel said on the Clutch Scoops show.

2/4/26 — Anthony Davis to Wizards? Giannis next? Latest NBA intel w/ @TomerAzarly & @BrettSiegelNBA https://t.co/q5u711kP4Z

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 4, 2026

Cavs face significant hurdles in any potential Giannis Antetokounmpo trade

For starters, even with the Cavs having shed plenty of salary with their dealings these past few days, they remain above the second apron. This means that they can only acquire players who are making equal or less money than their current players, and they cannot aggregate players to bring in someone who’s making more.

A straight-up Mobley for Antetokounmpo swap is impossible because of this. They have to dump Max Strus first to do so, but it’s not quite clear if the Cavs have the assets to get off of his contract in the first place.

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