The Cleveland Cavaliers must be kicking themselves. If they had been willing to part with Evan Mobley, they likely could have emerged from this offseason with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James.
After all, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, the four-time NBA MVP wasn't even considering signing with the Philadelphia 76ers before their blockbuster deal with the Boston Celtics.
.@ShamsCharania says the Sixers were "not even on [LeBron's] radar" until they traded for Jaylen Brown 😳 pic.twitter.com/aVjpMWv2In
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 24, 2026
The Cavs were a finalist in this sweepstakes without making a move to entice James. Had they paid the price necessary to acquire Brown, the appeal of a homecoming with a chance at a championship seems like it would have swayed him to Cleveland.
Instead, a pantheon player, driven by the opportunity to contend for a fifth ring, is taking his talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
Why the Cavs passed on chance to land LeBron and Jaylen Brown
Mobley is the franchise's last young building block. They traded 26-year-old guard Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers for James Harden last season.
That move helped them get to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, they got swept off that stage by the New York Knicks. By the end of the series, they had thrown in the towel. They got blown out on their home floor in an uncompetitive finale.
A quartet of Mobley, Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen offers promise in a wide-open bracket in the East. However, it was a rocky road to get to the Knicks. They had to prevail in a Game 7 in each of the first two rounds.
To the Cavaliers' credit, they accomplished that. However, there's a reason their core didn't compel James to return home. It's not a group that instills championship-level confidence.
The Cavaliers should have prioritized their present-day opportunity
They could move Allen in an effort to boost their title odds. However, the move that was sitting right in front of them was the one they should have seized.
Yes, Mobley, who recently turned 25, already has an All-NBA selection and a Defensive Player of the Year Award on his resume. He has still had an uneven career to this point.
More importantly, his archetype suggests that, at best, he's the second-best player on a title team, not the primary option. Meanwhile, Cleveland has a short window built around Mitchell as the offensive engine. The Cavs have even less time to reach the NBA mountaintop with Harden as a core member of their cast.
And when this window closes, who will be there alongside Mobley? What assets will they have to find him a co-star? And if their current quartet isn't good enough, why should one believe their future will be brighter?
It's easy to get lost in the promise of tomorrow. However, what that cost the Cavaliers is a brighter today. They had an elevated chance at championship contention and another unforgettable chapter with James, as he finished his career in wine and gold.
Instead, they let it slip away. The only ones who might feel worse about their decision are Celtics fans.
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