The Milwaukee Bucks were interested in getting Evan Mobley from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade.
The Milwaukee Bucks almost traded Giannis Antetokounmpo at the 2026 NBA trade deadline and they had an enormous asking price, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
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.
Milwaukee wound up not trading Antetokounmpo, but the two sides are expected to discuss their future together again this offseason.
Mobley is one of the best two-way players in the NBA. It's unknown if the Cavaliers would be interested in trading the one-time Defensive Player of the Year to acquire Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP and one-time Finals MVP.
The Cavaliers haven't advanced past the second round of the playoffs in the Donovan Mitchell era, which began in 2022-23. Cleveland is under immense pressure to reach the conference finals this season after trading for future Hall of Famer James Harden.
If the Cavaliers falter in the 2026 playoffs, it will be fascinating to see what happens to the Wine and Gold's roster.
The Bucks can offer Antetokounmpo an extension in October. It will be intriguing to see if Antetokounmpo remains with Milwaukee or finally gets traded.
If Antetokounmpo doesn't sign an extension with Milwaukee, the forward is expected to get traded. It's doubtful that the Bucks would trade Antetokounmpo to the Cavaliers since the two teams are division rivals.
However, Mobley could be the best player Milwaukee can get for Antetokounmpo.
Mobley has career averages of 16.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game with the Cavaliers. He was the third overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of USC.
Cleveland is currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Mobley and Co. would face the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2026 playoffs if the regular season ended as of this writing.
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