NBA insider believes Cavs should consider trading Evan Mobley for LeBron James

By David Akerman
Updated: January 16, 2023

With the Los Angeles Lakers reeling right now, rumors regarding LeBron James’ future continue to swirl.

An Eastern Conference executive recently made a compelling pitch for James to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one NBA insider recently stated that he would trade Evan Mobley in order to acquire James.

Would you trade Evan Mobley for LeBron James right now? pic.twitter.com/pMtxtkAWLf

— Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show (@ultCLEsports) January 15, 2023

“I think I would,” The Athletic’s Joe Vardon said.

Vardon explained why he would make the trade.

“Having lived the championship year that we lived and then in 2019, I covered the [Toronto] Raptors run through the Finals, and so I’ve become a firm believer in if you have a shot, take it,” he said. “So, I would rather win one more now and walk away from whatever Evan Mobley gives you.”

It’s certainly an interesting take, but plenty of Cavs fans would surely do whatever it takes to get another title for the franchise. After all, the organization only has one championship to its name, and that came in 2016 while James was leading the team.

Although James is 38 years old, he is still producing at an incredibly high level. The four-time MVP is recording 29.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this season while knocking down 50.7 percent of his shots from the field.

His Lakers continue to struggle, but he’s been doing everything he can in order to lift them out of the hole they’re in.

As for Mobley and the Cavs, they’re in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a 27-17 record. They’re just one game back of the second seed in the East.

The University of Southern California product is averaging 14.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 55.0 percent from the field.

While some believe that he hasn’t taken a big enough leap, Mobley has been very important to the Cavs’ success this season. He continues to be fantastic on defense and currently leads the league in defensive win shares with 2.4.

His offensive numbers might be down, but that’s to be expected, as the Cavs acquired Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz last offseason.

Cavs fans are surely excited for the future of Mobley and this team. They are undoubtedly expecting the squad to make it to the NBA playoffs this season after it lost back-to-back games in the play-in tournament last season.