The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off the biggest trade so far of this 2025-26 NBA season by acquiring James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s a major win-now move, and NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh says the Cavaliers can make a couple more in 2026.
Haberstroh has put together a scenario where they bring in Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James to form a Big 4 with Harden and Donovan Mitchell. While James wouldn’t be heading to Cleveland right away, Antetokounmpo would.
“So the trade: Cleveland receives Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo; Milwaukee nets Evan Mobley, Lonzo Ball and a 2031 first-round pick from Cleveland, and Tyrese Martin from Brooklyn; Brooklyn absorbs Max Strus’ contract and earns the right to swap first-round picks with Cleveland in 2028, 2030, and 2032.”
Haberstroh explained how the Cavaliers being a second-apron team complicates any Antetokounmpo trade. They need to dump about $14 million worth of salary in order to aggregate salaries, and the Brooklyn Nets just so happen to be in a position to take it on. The Nets get three first-round pick swaps for absorbing Max Strus‘ contract to facilitate the trade.
As for the Bucks, Evan Mobley and that 2031 first-round pick are the major assets they’re getting for Antetokounmpo. Is that enough? Well, you could argue it is.
Mobley is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and is averaging 17.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 0.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game in 2025-26. The 24-year-old hasn’t quite taken the offensive leap that many had hoped he would, but is still an excellent young big.
Teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat, and Golden State Warriors have been linked to Antetokounmpo ahead of this Feb. 5 trade deadline. You can make a case that none of them would be putting a player as good as Mobley on the table.
We get to that 2031 draft pick next, and it is far enough into the future to be considered a very valuable asset. Harden and James probably would have retired by 2030, while Antetokounmpo and Mitchell would be in their mid-30s. That could well end up being a top-five pick.
An Antetokounmpo-Harden-Mitchell trio might be good enough to win it all, and James would further tilt the scales in their favor. As for how the Cavaliers would land him, it would be in free agency.
James is in the final year of his two-year, $101 million deal and is expected to finish the season with the Los Angeles Lakers despite trade chatter. He would have to take a massive pay cut to join the Cavaliers, and Haberstroh says the team could trade for his son, Bronny James, to convince him to do so.
“Instead, James could slow his roll and wait until this summer to head back to Cleveland when he could sign a Dirk-esque contract with the Cavs. Why would he take a discount if he’s still playing at an All-Star level? It would serve as something of a compromise so the Cavs would trade for son Bronny, who is due a guaranteed $2.3 million next season.”
That would be quite the development. The Cavaliers would have some depth as well, despite having four big stars.
“The Cavs could head into next season with a starting lineup of Mitchell, Harden, James, Antetokounmpo and [Jarret] Allen with [Jaylon] Tyson, Dennis Schröder, Keon Ellis (eligible for extension), Bronny James and Sam Merrill anchoring the second unit.”
The Cavaliers would be the title favorites in 2026-27 with that roster. Is this realistic, though? Well, a reunion with James could well be on the cards. An Antetokounmpo trade, though, looks unlikely. You’d imagine the Bucks would want more draft capital. Other teams being in the mix means there is a bidding war of sorts, and the Cavaliers aren’t likely to win one.
