The Cleveland Cavaliers have been at the center of trade rumors all offseason. After being swept in the Eastern Conference Finals by the Knicks, they were rumored to be looking to change the roster. Evan Mobley has been the main player in the rumors.
Cleveland was rumored to be considering offering Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo. That ended up not happening, as he was traded to the Heat instead. Now, Mobley has been rumored to possibly be heading to Boston in exchange for someone like Jaylen Brown.
NBA insider Brian Windhorst gave a critical update about Mobley’s future in Cleveland.
GettyCleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley shoots the ball in a game against the Knicks. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Insider Claims Cavaliers Don’t Want to Move Evan Mobley
While appearing on ESPN 1000 in Cleveland, Windhorst claims that the Cavaliers are not looking to move Mobley.
“I don’t think it’s impossible that the Cavs would ever move Mobley. I don’t think that they are looking to move him right now.”
If the Cavs weren’t going to offer Mobley to the Bucks for Antetokounmpo, it doesn’t make sense for them to offer him for Brown. Mobley is still a young player and has already won Defensive Player of the Year. He still has a lot to add to his game.
Cleveland making the Eastern Conference Finals with this core also gives them confidence that this team can get over the hump. However, this is a team that could get very expensive very quickly, and they were already the most expensive team in the league.
Mobley is certainly someone that the Cavaliers want to keep. He has a really good defensive ceiling, but he needs to develop his 3-point shooting. If he can do that, then he will finally turn into the full-fledged superstar that the team is hoping he can become.
GettyCleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley reacts during a game. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Cleveland Still Needs to add to the Existing Roster
While the Cavaliers are going to keep the current core together, they still have to find a way to add around the fringes. The issue with that is they don’t have many mechanisms to do so. They are already too expensive, so they can’t add too many other contracts.
Making trades is the only way to make the team less expensive and better at the same time. They could also decide to surprise everyone and not re-sign James Harden, but that seems unlikely. Cleveland has to figure out what to do with the bench in order to make this team more dangerous.
Adding shooting around Mobley, Harden, and Donovan Mitchell seems to be the best play. How they do that will likely come down to trading players and future draft assets. Those draft assets will become the best trade pieces that the Cavs have available to them.
It seems like Mobley is staying with the team for the near future. That is a smart play for a team that is close to winning a title.
Insider Gives Critical Evan Mobley Update in Midst of Cavaliers Trade Rumors