Cavaliers refused a very reasonable trade package for Giannis, per report
The Cavaliers really turned down getting Giannis Antetokounmpo for this trade package.
If there's one thing NBA teams tend to do, it's overvalue their draft assets and some of their homegrown players. This phenomenon seems especially egregious for the Cleveland Cavaliers , who reportedly could've had all-timer Giannis Antetokounmpo in a league-shifting trade ... until they balked at the Milwaukee Bucks ' reasonable asking price.
According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line , the Cavaliers were in on a deal for Antetokounmpo before this year's past trade deadline. They could've paired him with Donovan Mitchell. That would've been a duo that, on paper, would surely be seen as one of the NBA's best from a title contender perspective.
But when the Bucks asked for young big man Evan Mobley and all of Cleveland's available draft picks in return for the two-time MVP in Antetokounmpo, the Cavaliers got cold feet and turned the offer down. I'm sorry, what? The Cavaliers didn't trade Mobley for one of the best power forwards ever in his prime?
I understand the draft picks probably played a decent role here, too, but come on. It's Giannis , with a lot of gas left in the tank. That price is so reasonable to me.