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The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly declined a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, which included young star Evan Mobley and multiple draft picks. This decision has raised eyebrows among NBA analysts, questioning the Cavaliers' valuation of their assets.
If there's one thing NBA teams tend to do, it's overvalue their draft assets and some of their homegrown players. This phenomenon seems especially egregious for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who reportedly could've had all-timer Giannis Antetokounmpo in a league-shifting trade ... until they balked at the Milwaukee Bucks' reasonable asking price.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Cavaliers were in on a deal for Antetokounmpo before this year's past trade deadline. They could've paired him with Donovan Mitchell. That would've been a duo that, on paper, would surely be seen as one of the NBA's best from a title contender perspective. But when the Bucks asked for young big man Evan Mobley and all of Cleveland's available draft picks in return for the two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo, the Cavaliers got cold feet and turned the offer down.
I'm sorry, what? The Cavaliers didn't trade Mobley for one of the best power forwards ever in his prime? I understand the draft picks probably played a decent role here, too, but come on. It's Giannis, with a lot of gas left in the tank. That price is so reasonable to me. We're losing the plot here, dearest readers.
“The Cavaliers, league sources say, contacted the Bucks about Giannis [Antetokounmpo] before the deadline as well … and were told it would take Evan Mobley and all of Cleveland's available draft capital to get it done. That's a trade construction that presumably would have Mobley stans scoffing, but it's a move that no shortage of rival executives I've discussed it with say they would make.”
The Cavaliers turned down a trade that included Evan Mobley and all of their available draft picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Cavaliers reportedly got cold feet over the asking price, which included a young star and significant draft assets.
Pairing Giannis with Donovan Mitchell would have created one of the NBA's strongest duos, significantly enhancing the Cavaliers' title contention prospects.
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Purely to play devil's advocate, I do understand the Cavaliers' hesitancy on some level. Even though he's taken a step back this year, Mobley has shown he is All-Star caliber. I mean, the guy won last year's Defensive Player of the Year. That's not nothing! And Mobley will only be 25 years old come next season. It's not impossible to see him tap into more of his immense potential. A similar principle applies to the Cavaliers' draft assets. There is inherent risk in trading all of your best avenues for improvement for a 31-year-old like Antetokounmpo, who has seen a rash of injuries over the last few years.
If the Cavaliers had dealt away all of their picks only to be hampered by Antetokounmpo's potential limited availability, they'd be up a creek without a paddle for the foreseeable future.
With all of that said, if you're serious about bringing a championship back to Cleveland, this is the kind of blockbuster trade you should make 10 times out of 10. (No offense to them, but I don't believe in the current iteration of the Cavaliers being capable of winning it all.) You don't pass up opportunities for all-time greats in this fashion. You take the calculated gamble and trust that transcendent talent will ultimately win out in the end.
Oh, well. Instead of Antetokounmpo, the Cavaliers went and got James Harden instead. Based on his "illustrious" history of competing for championships, I'm sure that move will work out. Definitely. Maybe. Uh, perhaps.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Cavaliers laughably neglected trading for Giannis with this player