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Evan Mobley cannot control whether the Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks make one of the most-discussed potential NBA trade scenarios of the last year come to fruition during the 2026 offseason.
Mobley is well aware of widespread speculation about the Cavs possibly trading him to the Bucks in a deal for two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Although Mobley has insisted he wants to stay with the Cavs, the 7-footer has no say about whether Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert or Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam (yes, the Cleveland Browns boss has an NBA team, too) will employ him moving forward. On May 6, Haslam said the Bucks will decide to either trade Antetokounmpo or continue to build around him by the NBA draft, which is set for June 23-24.
Mobley can only continue to work on his game and hope it translates to improvement in his sixth NBA season and beyond.
"Right now, it's kind of narrowing down what my go-to [moves] are," Mobley said on May 25 after the Cavs were swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. "I think I can do a lot of things on the floor. I'm very versatile. I have a lot of skill set. But I think narrowing things down to knowing what [moves] I'm gonna get to nine times out of 10 [will be important], and then, after that, letting my skill set thrive. I think that's a big step I want to do and change."
Cavaliers coaching news: Kenny Atkinson set to return for his third season with Cavs. Big roster decisions remain
The third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley had an uneven fifth season as a professional. Cleveland's failed experimentation with him on offense as a point forward and creator from the perimeter contributed to the 24-year-old forward's regression. Two left calf strains certainly didn't help his cause, either.
Last year, Mobley made his first All-Star team, earned All-NBA Second Team status and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. This year, he didn't repeat any of those accomplishments. He received just one vote for All-NBA Third Team and 13 votes for All-Defensive Second Team.
However, Mobley bounced back with some strong individual performances in the playoffs, particularly during the Cavs' 4-3 series win over the Detroit Pistons in the second round, which preceded Cleveland's humiliating sweep against New York in the conference finals. In Game 7 against the Pistons, Mobley compiled 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 36 minutes.
"That's big time for a younger player, and I have no doubt he'll continue to be great for us," Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said.
Cavs news: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden share desire to remain Cavaliers tandem
In the 2025-26 regular season, Mobley played 65 games. He averaged 18.2 points on 54.6% shooting from the field (29.7% on 3-pointers), nine rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 31.9 minutes.
In the 2026 playoffs, Mobley played all 18 games. He averaged 17 points on 53.5% shooting from the field (33.8% on 3-pointers), 8.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 blocks and 35.5 minutes.
"It was a slow shooting year," Mobley said, reflecting on his 2025-26 season. "There's a few things I could have done better, but as the year kept going, I just kept staying positive, kept with my work ethic and trusting the process. I think in the playoffs, all that kind of played out how I kind of wanted it to. Some games you definitely want some shots back, but overall I think the shooting became better and a lot of different things I did pretty good. Now it’s to the summer and back to work and grinding to make another jump and be even better next year."
Will the Cavs, Bucks or perhaps even another franchise benefit from Mobley's future in the NBA? He will turn 25 on June 18.
On the eve of the playoffs beginning in April, Mobley didn't hesitate to answer when the Beacon Journal asked him during a one-on-one interview how he views outsiders routinely mentioning him in hypothetical trade scenarios centered on Antetokounmpo.
"I just don't really try to feed into that," Mobley said then. "Everyone's going to have a conversation or talk about this trade, that trade, eventually in your career. That's going to come up, and if you focus on that, you can get sidetracked and distracted from what's going on. I just focus on my game, focus on how I can keep getting better and, I mean, I want to stay here. I think we have a great team this year, and I think that's what I'm focused on."
The Knicks proved the Cavs weren't as great as Mobley thought they were. If Mobley receives his wish to remain in Cleveland, his mission will include helping the Cavs redeem themselves.
"We've got to look at what we can do better next time," Mobley said, "because the ultimate goal is the championship."
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Cavs benefit from Evan Mobley in future or trade him for Giannis?
Continue reading...
Mobley is well aware of widespread speculation about the Cavs possibly trading him to the Bucks in a deal for two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Although Mobley has insisted he wants to stay with the Cavs, the 7-footer has no say about whether Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert or Bucks owner Jimmy Haslam (yes, the Cleveland Browns boss has an NBA team, too) will employ him moving forward. On May 6, Haslam said the Bucks will decide to either trade Antetokounmpo or continue to build around him by the NBA draft, which is set for June 23-24.
Mobley can only continue to work on his game and hope it translates to improvement in his sixth NBA season and beyond.
"Right now, it's kind of narrowing down what my go-to [moves] are," Mobley said on May 25 after the Cavs were swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. "I think I can do a lot of things on the floor. I'm very versatile. I have a lot of skill set. But I think narrowing things down to knowing what [moves] I'm gonna get to nine times out of 10 [will be important], and then, after that, letting my skill set thrive. I think that's a big step I want to do and change."
Cavaliers coaching news: Kenny Atkinson set to return for his third season with Cavs. Big roster decisions remain
The third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, Mobley had an uneven fifth season as a professional. Cleveland's failed experimentation with him on offense as a point forward and creator from the perimeter contributed to the 24-year-old forward's regression. Two left calf strains certainly didn't help his cause, either.
Last year, Mobley made his first All-Star team, earned All-NBA Second Team status and won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. This year, he didn't repeat any of those accomplishments. He received just one vote for All-NBA Third Team and 13 votes for All-Defensive Second Team.
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However, Mobley bounced back with some strong individual performances in the playoffs, particularly during the Cavs' 4-3 series win over the Detroit Pistons in the second round, which preceded Cleveland's humiliating sweep against New York in the conference finals. In Game 7 against the Pistons, Mobley compiled 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals and two blocked shots in 36 minutes.
"That's big time for a younger player, and I have no doubt he'll continue to be great for us," Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said.
Cavs news: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden share desire to remain Cavaliers tandem
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Evan Mobley stats in regular season and playoffs
In the 2025-26 regular season, Mobley played 65 games. He averaged 18.2 points on 54.6% shooting from the field (29.7% on 3-pointers), nine rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.7 blocks and 31.9 minutes.
In the 2026 playoffs, Mobley played all 18 games. He averaged 17 points on 53.5% shooting from the field (33.8% on 3-pointers), 8.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.8 blocks and 35.5 minutes.
"It was a slow shooting year," Mobley said, reflecting on his 2025-26 season. "There's a few things I could have done better, but as the year kept going, I just kept staying positive, kept with my work ethic and trusting the process. I think in the playoffs, all that kind of played out how I kind of wanted it to. Some games you definitely want some shots back, but overall I think the shooting became better and a lot of different things I did pretty good. Now it’s to the summer and back to work and grinding to make another jump and be even better next year."
Will the Cavs, Bucks or perhaps even another franchise benefit from Mobley's future in the NBA? He will turn 25 on June 18.
You must be registered for see images
Evan Mobley says he wants to stay with Cavs amid Giannis trade rumors
On the eve of the playoffs beginning in April, Mobley didn't hesitate to answer when the Beacon Journal asked him during a one-on-one interview how he views outsiders routinely mentioning him in hypothetical trade scenarios centered on Antetokounmpo.
"I just don't really try to feed into that," Mobley said then. "Everyone's going to have a conversation or talk about this trade, that trade, eventually in your career. That's going to come up, and if you focus on that, you can get sidetracked and distracted from what's going on. I just focus on my game, focus on how I can keep getting better and, I mean, I want to stay here. I think we have a great team this year, and I think that's what I'm focused on."
The Knicks proved the Cavs weren't as great as Mobley thought they were. If Mobley receives his wish to remain in Cleveland, his mission will include helping the Cavs redeem themselves.
"We've got to look at what we can do better next time," Mobley said, "because the ultimate goal is the championship."
Nate Ulrich is the sports columnist of the Akron Beacon Journal and a sports features writer. Nate can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Cavs benefit from Evan Mobley in future or trade him for Giannis?
Continue reading...
