The name of the Ruler of the Year of the Year Evan Mobley appeared in recent trade speculation.
The Cleveland Cavaliers star has been leaned into a potential make-up class in Giannis Antetocomo’s blockbuster trade due to the uncertain future of the superstar with the Milwaukee Bucks.
At first, Brian Windhorst’s bold claims were bold.
Following this, Bill Simmons proposed a direct one-to-one swap between the Cab and the Bucks for both Mobley and Anteto Compo.
The trade rumors and proposals involving Mobley are fairly understandable, taking into account the Cleveland Cavaliers postseason exit.
After winning 64 meeting-leading wins in this past regular season, the team was expected to compete at the highest level of the NBA Championship.
However, the Cavs were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the shattering 5-game series in the East semi-finals.
The Cavs have yet to reach the final of the conference since they splashed in 2022 to acquire new superstar Donovan Mitchell. And perhaps to get over the hump, Nick Wright even proposed a second reunion between Cleveland and LeBron James.
With a lot of speculation that involved Mobley, Cavs general manager Koby Altman revealed that the franchise is committed to Star Big Man.
“Evan Mobley is 23,” Altman said at a Cavaliers Season Exit press conference. “If you don’t think he’s going to break through, we’ll unt. He’ll break through at some point.
“He’s 23. This is his third playoff. He’s still thinking about this new altitude part of his game that he’s been with Kenny (Atkinson) this year, so he’s trying to break through it.
“That internal growth is something we’ve always been working on with banks and we’ll continue to bank. If we’re the second apron team, we know there’s still internal growth to improve.
The 2024-25 season was actually a sensational breakout year for Mobley.
After being suspected in his first three NBA seasons, Mobley enjoyed the meteor rise by taking the two-way play praised by teammate Ty Jerome to the next level.
Averaging 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists, 30.5 minutes in 71 games, he scored his first All-Star nod while becoming the league’s defensive player of the year winner.
Altman is sure that brighter possibilities are still waiting for Mobley right after this year’s growth.
“This is another big offseason for Evan. We’re going as a franchise like Evan goes, and we had that conversation with Evan,” added Altman.
“Evan, can he play three? Can he play four? Can he play five? And in the playoffs you need more. You need 13 or more field goal attempts per game. It’s new. It’s new for Evan. There’s another jump.
“And at that point, Kenny will be able to implement his offseason program. We’re very excited, and we’ll see some internal growth out there. And I think we have one of the best big guys in Evan Mobley’s game.”
The trade tweets about Mobley may cease for now, but Altman expects to say all this publicly. If the Bucks reach out and put Giannis on the table, we’ll see how committed they are.