How the Cavaliers Front Office Feels About Evan Mobley

As the Cleveland Cavaliers sort through their offseason plans and determine a path for the franchise, one player who will certainly come up in conversations about the present and future is Evan Mobley.

Mobley has taken tremendous strides since Cleveland drafted him in 2021. However, at 24 years old, he could also be an intriguing piece in a possible blockbuster deal this summer. 

Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman set the record straight during his end-of-year media availability on Friday and called Mobley, “a part of our future.”

“Since Evan's been here, we've had the third-best record in the league. For five years, the third-best record in the league. Now, we don't have a championship to show for that yet… But all Evan has done is impact winning. He's been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent,” said Altman.

There’s an argument to be had that Mobley was Cleveland’s best and most consistent player in the playoffs. He averaged 17 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.9 assists while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 33 percent from behind the arc in Cleveland’s 18 games.

The Cavaliers also know that Mobley isn’t a finished product and has areas he must still improve, but it also sounds like Cleveland still has a plan to help him reach the elite level Mobley has always had the potential to reach. 

The executive continued, “He knows he needs to get better. When we sat down to talk to him, we talked about the intangible stuff, and I even saw the skill set stuff. ‘How are we gonna get stronger? Right? How are we gonna build your body up so you're gonna be able to sustain?’ 
We were, man, we played them a lot of minutes this off this postseason.”

What about using Mobley as a trade chip? What about the possibility of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal?

Altman was actually asked about that straight up, and the executive, obviously, shot down any further discussion, noting that the front office isn’t “gonna speculate on any players outside of these walls.”

Who knows what an offseason full of trades, free agent signings, and other roster movement around the NBA will bring for Mobley and the Cavaliers? 

That said, right now, based on Altman’s comments, it still sounds like Cleveland is committed to seeing Mobley’s development through and making him a key piece on hopefully a championship roster. 

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