Ramona Shelburne of ESPN offered additional insight into the types of players the Milwaukee Bucks were interested in when discussing Giannis Antetokounmpo trades before the deadline.
"The players the Bucks did seem interested in were younger building blocks such as VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers or Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources said."
It doesn't seem likely that the Sixers will give up Edgecombe, although it could take enough convincing to make Daryl Morey do so. After all, this is the man who just traded Jared McCain (VJ is more talented, but still) to the Thunder before the deadline. He may just be tempted enough to send the 20-year-old guard to the Bucks for Giannis.
While you can't rule that out, trading for Mobley feels like something that could actually happen, as pressure is on the Cavaliers to do something in the playoffs. Since trading for Donovan Mitchell in 2022, they've failed to make it past the second round.
Cleveland swapped Darius Garland for James Harden at the deadline with the hopes that the former MVP would help propel the team toward a deep playoff run, which was a bold move, considering his past performances in elimination games (see last year's Game 7 in Denver).
Cavaliers could turn to Giannis trade after early playoff exit
Donovan Mitchell will be eligible to sign an extension this summer — an outcome that Cleveland, of course, wants to happen. Another disappointing end to the season should reduce the chances of that happening, but the Cavaliers could pivot and push to trade for Antetokounmpo to keep their star guard happy.
Why wouldn't you want to play with Giannis? Mitchell and Antetokounmpo would be one of the top duos in the league, and Harden would be a pretty good No. 3 option. Too bad there would only be one basketball to go around.
It would cost the Cavaliers their 24-year-old young star, but if you're trying to go all-in on winning a title, you would rather have Giannis.
Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft, is averaging 18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game for Cleveland in 55 contests this season. He hasn't developed his offensive skillset and become the kind of scorer the Cavaliers thought he'd be, but that's an area he could expand with the Bucks. He's already one of the best defensive bigs in the league.
Of course, Milwaukee would also get a mix of other players, along with picks in a trade for Giannis, as well as Mobley, but that'd be a solid package. Antetokounmpo is still very much a top player in the NBA, but he'll turn 32 a couple of months into next season, and his injury concerns are growing.
If Giannis tells the front office he doesn't plan to sign an extension, prompting trade talks to reopen, Bucks fans should hope the Cavaliers get involved.