The NBA trade season has officially arrived, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are suddenly in the middle of it.
ESPNâs Shams Charania reported Thursday that Cleveland is receiving âa ton of incoming callsâ from rival teams exploring potential deals. But according to Charania, two names are firmly off the table. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley remain untouchable.
âWhen I talk to rival teams, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are really the two untouchable players on this roster,â Charania said on NBA Today.
That clarification doesnât end Clevelandâs trade conversation actually heightens it. With the Cavaliers hovering at 15-13 and carrying one of the leagueâs most expensive rosters, the pressure to evaluate the rest of the core is intensifying.
A Costly Core With Diminishing Returns
For multiple seasons, the Cavs have tried to push their âCore Fourâ forward. Each playoff exit has raised the same question: is this group good enough to contend, or just expensive enough to delay the inevitable?
Cleveland currently owns the highest payroll in the NBA. Thatâs a difficult reality to justify for a team stuck around .500 and trending backward statistically. If internal improvement was coming, it likely would have shown by now.
The logical conclusion is uncomfortable but obvious. If Mitchell and Mobley are the foundation, then everything else has to be evaluated honestly.
Thatâs where names like Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and DeâAndre Hunter enter the conversation. None of them are easy to move. All of them would command real value. And none of them appear to be untouchable. For a team that has been relying on the excuse of trying to build cohesion, needing to sure up the small forward spot and untimely injuries, it seems this season those same issues are falling on deaf ears.
Standing Pat Requires Faith And Evidence
Keeping the roster intact is still an option. Injuries have disrupted continuity. Chemistry can improve. Timing can change narratives. Those arguments exist.
But belief requires proof, and this group hasnât provided much lately. The Cavs have struggled to respond to adversity, and the same issues of dealing with physical play, getting perimeter shot creation outside of Mitchell and consistency from the small forward position continue to plague them.
Midseason blockbusters rarely fix foundational problems. More often, they introduce chaos. A big move now could easily be a punt disguised as progress. Still, doing nothing carries its own risk. Standing pat would require betting that this version of the roster can suddenly flip a switch. Thatâs a difficult sell when trends from last three years point the other way.
As ESPN Cleveland radio host Tony Rizzo put it bluntly:
âThis team needs a kick in a**. This is a team with championship-level expectations and theyâre .500. Iâm starting to wonder about this coach⦠I just donât know how you bring everybody back.â
The Statistical Drop-Off Tells the Story
Last season, Cleveland finished with the No. 1 scoring offense and the eighth-ranked defense. This year, they rank 10th in scoring and 12th in defensive rating.
That may not sound catastrophic on paper, but context matters. This roster is largely unchanged from last season. The biggest difference is swapping Ty Jerome for Lonzo Ball after Isaac Okoro was dealt to Chicago.
Regression without meaningful personnel loss is a warning sign. It suggests systemic issues rather than bad luck.
The Direction Is Clear, even if the Answer Isnât
The Cavaliers arenât shopping Mitchell or Mobley. That part is settled. What isnât settled is how long Cleveland can afford to straddle the middle. Teams around the league sense uncertainty, which explains the flood of incoming calls. The Cavs donât need to answer all of them, but they do need to decide which future theyâre protecting.
Outside of a full rebuild, Clevelandâs path forward runs through Mitchell and Mobley. Everything else is negotiable. And that reality is exactly why trade season has come knocking.
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