Cavaliers Notes: Mobley, Allen, Harden, Mitchell, LeBron
The Cavaliers figure to be active on the trade market this summer, whether it’s to remake a roster that got overwhelmed by New York in the Eastern Conference finals or just to escape the second apron. The problem for president of basketball operations Koby Altman is that he doesn’t have many assets to offer unless he’s willing to part with a big name, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes in a subscriber-only story.
Fedor states that teams calling Altman typically express interest in Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Jaylon Tyson or Max Strus. Mobley and Allen are linchpins of a team that has become one of the best in the conference, while Tyson at 23 is one of the Cavs’ top young talents and Strus is a reliable shooter who’ll have a $16.7MM expiring contract next season. Cleveland also owns the 29th pick in this year’s draft and can offer its first-rounder in 2031 or 2032.
Mobley would be the most valuable asset if the Cavaliers decide to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo or another huge name, but Fedor states that the front office still views Mobley as a future star and appears to be committed to keeping him as part of the future.
“All I can tell you is, since Evan’s been here, we’ve had the third best record in the league,” Altman said Friday at his end-of-season press conference. “Now we don’t have a championship to show for that yet, right? Boston and Denver, the other two ahead of us, they have a championship to show for that. But all Evan has done is impacted winning. He’s been remarkable for us in terms of our ascent the last five years. He’s a huge part of what we do.”
Altman also expressed support for Allen, saying he’s a good fit alongside Mobley and they provide a “cheat code” on defense.
There’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavaliers considered a few other options before deciding to trade for James Harden at the deadline, according to Fedor. One was Celtics guard Derrick White, which became unrealistic with Jayson Tatum‘s fast return from his Achilles injury. Another was Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday, a former Celtic, but they decided he doesn’t he doesn’t provide enough offense. There were also “internal discussions” about Antetokounmpo. Altman said they understood what they were getting with Harden, who holds a $42.3MM player option for next season and is expected to sign a multi-year contract this summer. “I think people need to take a step back and realize we didn’t trade for MVP James Harden,” Altman said. “We traded for James Harden at the end of his career that has transformed himself to becoming one of the best point guards in the league. He helped stabilize us. He helped re-galvanize the group. We were kind of shaky there, in terms of our belief. We’re not in the conference finals without James.”
- Altman called Donovan Mitchell “uniquely ours” during the press conference, but the team could face a difficult decision if he doesn’t agree to an extension this summer, Fedor adds. Mitchell will become eligible in July for a four-year deal worth up to $272MM, but that will increase to five years at around $350MM if he waits until next offseason. That means taking him into potential free agency, which the Cavs may be hesitant to do.
- Speculation about another LeBron James homecoming will hang over the franchise until his situation is resolved, Fedor notes. James would solve the team’s most pressing positional need and would bring a wealth of playoff experience, but the Cavs can’t offer more than the $3.9MM veteran’s minimum without making major changes to the roster. Another option is a sign-and-trade, which means giving James a three-year contract with at least one fully guaranteed season. Fedor points out that the Lakers would likely ask for a significant return in that scenario.
Thunder Not Expected To Pursue Giannis, Interested In Mobley?
The Spurs not only caught up to the Thunder sooner than expected but surpassed them by eliminating the defending champions in Oklahoma City on Saturday night, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic. The big question now facing the Thunder is how the team can solve the unprecedented challenge that Victor Wembanyama presents.
While a major roster overhaul would be shocking considering the Thunder were 71-14 against every other team in the league in 2025/26, they went just 4-8 against San Antonio in what could be the beginning of a long rivalry.
League sources have told Amick throughout the season that Oklahoma City is not expected to pursue Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, though speculation will undoubtedly pick up on that front in the wake of the Thunder being eliminated. Amick has also heard “chatter” for some time about the Thunder being interested in Evan Mobley, whom Cavaliers president of basketball operations (Koby Altman) recently called “part of our future.”
As Dan Woike of The Athletic writes, one key player who really struggled under the bright lights of Game 7 was big man Chet Holmgren, who was named to the All-NBA Third Team and finished runner-up to Wembanyama in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Holmgren finished with just four points (on 1-of-2 shooting), four rebounds, two steals, two blocks and two turnovers in 33 minutes.
“They’re a unique team in terms of personnel, what their personnel does,” Holmgren said softly after the game. “I don’t think there’s another team that has the same kind of play style.”
Holmgren’s struggles against Wembanyama and the Spurs aren’t a new development, as he was largely ineffective during the 12 combined times the two teams faced off in 2025/26. The 24-year-old center/forward averaged 10.7 points, 7.1 and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game with a shooting line of .510/.273/.769 during the Western Conference finals, a far cry from the numbers he posted during the first two rounds of the playoffs (18.6 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.4 SPG on .600/.387/.885 shooting).
“That’s not all on him,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “I actually thought he played his minutes pretty well. You know, I thought that run at the end of the second quarter that got us back going and cut into the (lead), I mean, he was a huge part of that in ways that may not be in the box score visibly.”
While Daigneault certainly wasn’t wrong in that assessment of that stretch, Woike points out that Holmgren was unable to sustain that level of play throughout the game. Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman (subscriber link), graded Holmgren’s Game 7 performance as an “F,” while her colleague Joe Mussatto gave Cason Wallace an A+.
“There’s no running from improvement,” Holmgren said, per Woike. “I always look at it as no matter what — good, bad, win, loss, whatever it might be — you have to continue to improve. So, that’s the mindset.”
The Thunder will have to answer some difficult roster questions this summer, with five-year, maximum-salary extensions for Holmgren and Jalen Williams set to begin in 2026/27 and decisions due next month on sizable team options for Isaiah Hartenstein, Luguentz Dort and Kenrich Williams.
Still, Alex Caruso was defiant in his belief that the Spurs aren’t a problem that can’t be solved, Woike adds.
“There’s nothing that needs to be solved,” Caruso said. “We could have won (Game 7), and we would have been asking them maybe the same thing. I don’t think there’s this huge narrative of, like, this is a bugaboo. … We should have played better and won the game and been in the NBA Finals.
“They’re a good team, they’re young. We’re a good team, we’re young. Both will probably be around for a while, so we gotta get better and try to win next time.”
Cavaliers Considered Unlikely To Pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Cavaliers‘ concerns about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo would sign an extension in Cleveland will likely keep them out of the trade sweepstakes for the Bucks star, according to Jake Fischer and Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required).
There has been some speculation that the Cavs might be willing to part with Evan Mobley to acquire Antetokounmpo and maximize their title chances by teaming him with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. However, sources tell Fischer and Stein that Cleveland “should be regarded as unlikely to factor into the trade chase” for Antetokounmpo.
The authors note that Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman seemed to verify that sentiment as his end-of-season press conference Friday morning when he stated that Mobley is “part of our future.” Altman sidestepped a specific question about Antetokounmpo, telling reporters, “We’re not going to speculate on any player outside these walls.”
The report from Fischer and Stein gels with a weekend story from Joe Vardon of the Athletic claiming that Cleveland hasn’t expressed any interest in a Mobley-Antetokounmpo swap.
Antetokounmpo will earn $58.5MM next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28. The ability to opt out and become an unrestricted free agent next summer gives him a degree of control in choosing his next team. It also makes potential suitors reluctant to part with valuable assets such as Mobley without an assurance that Antetokounmpo plans to stay long-term.
Fischer reported earlier this month that the Cavaliers might be viewed as a reasonable destination for Antetokounmpo if they encountered playoff disappointment again. The team wound up reaching the Eastern Conference finals, but mostly wasn’t competitive during a four-game sweep by New York.
Fischer and Stein also state that the Cavs are reluctant to part with Mobley because he’s only 24 and can provide “a legitimate bridge to a successful post-Mitchell future.” They add that team officials haven’t forgotten how difficult it was to rebuild after LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010 and 2018 and they’re hesitant to part with Mobley unless it’s a “sure-thing trade.”
NBA Announces 2025/26 All-NBA Teams
The league has officially announced its three All-NBA teams, recognizing the top performers for the 2025/26 season (all Twitter links).
A total of 100 media members voted on the All-NBA teams, with First Team votes counting for five points, Second Team votes counting for three points, and Third Team votes counting for one point.
This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows (each player’s point total is noted in parentheses):
First Team
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (500 points)- Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (500)
- Victor Wembanyama, Spurs (498)
- Luka Doncic, Lakers (482)
- Cade Cunningham, Pistons (414)
Second Team
- Jaylen Brown, Celtics (384)
- Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (277)
- Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers (276)
- Kevin Durant, Rockets (241)
- Jalen Brunson, Knicks (197)
Third Team
- Tyrese Maxey, Sixers (168)
- Jamal Murray, Nuggets (149)
- Jalen Johnson, Hawks (125)
- Jalen Duren, Pistons (121)
- Chet Holmgren, Thunder (87)
Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic, this season’s Most Valuable Player and runner-up, respectively, were the only unanimous first-teamers, with Wembanyama coming a single vote away — he had one Second Team vote to go along with 99 First Team votes.
Doncic and Cunningham each technically fell short of meeting the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for All-NBA and other major awards, but they appealed that ruling and were deemed award-eligible by the league. Doncic would have met the criteria if he hadn’t missed time due to the birth of a child, while Cunningham fell short after suffering a collapsed lung, so both players were granted “extraordinary circumstances” exceptions.
Notably, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, who played 61 games, also applied for an extraordinary circumstances exception. However, his request was denied, so his name didn’t show up on award ballots even though he likely would’ve been voted onto an All-NBA team if voters could’ve selected him. Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James – who had made 21 consecutive All-NBA teams – were among the other superstars who didn’t meet the 65-game criteria.
Outside of the 15 players who made All-NBA teams, another dozen players showed up on at least one ballot, starting with Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who had 26 voting points (Twitter link).
Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (14 points), Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (9), Cavaliers guard James Harden (6), Rockets center Alperen Sengun (6), Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (5), Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5), Heat big man Bam Adebayo (4), and Celtics guard Derrick White (3) all earned multiple votes, while Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley earned one Third Team vote apiece.
As usual, there are also financial implications worth noting related to the All-NBA teams. First and foremost, Duren will now be eligible to sign a contract with the Pistons that starts at up to 30% of the 2026/27 salary cap as a restricted free agent this summer. That means he could earn up to a projected $287.1MM over five years.
If he hadn’t made All-NBA, Duren’s maximum five-year contract with Detroit would’ve been worth a projected $239.3MM. Either way, the most a rival team can offer him is four years and $177.4MM.
Maxey and Cunningham are on their way to meeting the super-max (ie. Designated Veteran) criteria but would need to earn All-NBA honors again in 2027 to become eligible for maximum-salary extensions worth up to 35% of the cap instead of 30%.
Wembanyama is in a similar boat — despite making the All-NBA First Team and being named Defensive Player of the Year, he would need to achieve one of those feats again in 2027 in order to increase the maximum value of his next contract from 25% to the cap to 30% via the Rose rule. Wembanyama will be eligible to sign a rookie scale extension this offseason and is a lock to do so.
Paolo Banchero and Jalen Williams had Rose rule language in their maximum-salary rookie scale extensions, which were signed last offseason and will go into effect this July. They could’ve increased their respective starting salaries beyond 25% of the cap if they’d made an All-NBA team, but neither player did.
Interestingly, the maximum-salary rookie scale extension that the Thunder negotiated with Holmgren in 2025 did not include a Rose rule escalator, so the projected value of the big man’s contract (five years, $239.3MM) remains unchanged even though he earned a spot on the Third Team. It’ll go into effect this year and will be identical to Williams’ deal.
Finally, Edwards would have become eligible to sign a super-max extension with the Timberwolves during the 2027 offseason if he had been named to an All-NBA team this season. Because he didn’t qualify, he’ll need to make All-NBA next season in order to meet the performance criteria for a Designated Veteran extension.
Cavs Have Shown No Interest In Trading Mobley For Giannis
After losing Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals to New York on Saturday, the Cavaliers are one game away from being eliminated from the playoffs and having to answer some difficult questions about their roster, which was the NBA’s most expensive in 2025/26.
Those questions will involve Donovan Mitchell, who will be extension-eligible this offseason as he enters the final guaranteed season of his current contract, and James Harden, who holds a player option for 2026/27 but is reportedly considered likely to negotiate a multiyear deal with Cleveland.
They’ll also likely involve the frontcourt duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, who will get more expensive than ever next season as Allen’s new three-year, $90MM+ extension takes effect. Mobley and Allen will earn a combined $78.1MM in ’26/27 and that figure will continue to increase over the following two years.
Could a Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit be part of the Cavaliers’ offseason plans? Jake Fischer reported earlier this month that people around the league viewed Cleveland as a possible landing spot for the Bucks star if the Cavs experienced a disappointing playoff run.
According to Fischer, when the Cavs and Bucks talked about Antetokounmpo prior to February’s trade deadline, Milwaukee asked for Mobley and all of Cleveland’s available draft capital. ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, meanwhile, previously reported that when the Bucks discussed Giannis at the deadline, they were more interested in packages that would net them a young cornerstone like Mobley than ones heavy on draft picks.
However, two league sources tell Joe Vardon of The Athletic that the Cavaliers have conveyed no interest to this point in a trade involving Mobley and Antetokounmpo.
While Mobley still hasn’t shown he’s capable of consistently providing the sort of elite offensive production that made Antetokounmpo a two-time MVP, the Cavaliers big man is a former Defensive Player of the Year who is nearly seven years younger than Giannis and has a slightly more team-friendly cap hit. He’s also under contract through 2030, whereas Antetokounmpo could opt for free agency as soon as 2027.
Still, given the Cavaliers’ position relative to the tax and aprons, it will be extremely difficult for the club to make meaningful upgrades this summer without a move that involves at least one of their four highest-paid players (Mobley, Mitchell, Harden, and Allen). And unless they’re able to achieve a feat that no team in NBA history has accomplished by coming back from a 3-0 deficit, they’ll fall short of the NBA Finals, which would signal that upgrades are necessary to seriously contend for a championship.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavs will rethink their stance on trading Mobley for Antetokounmpo in the coming weeks, but it could make them even more open to major roster changes than they were at the deadline, when they swapped Darius Garland for Harden.
Cavaliers Notes: Mitchell, Mobley, Allen, Wade
Returning home with a 2-0 deficit for the second straight series, the Cavaliers plan to lean heavily on Donovan Mitchell in Saturday’s Game 3, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. The star guard issued a calming message after his team lost by 16 points in Game 2.
“I’m not sitting here like, oh man, scrambling and trying to figure things out,” Mitchell said. “At the end of the day, we make some shots, we’ll be in good shape. … We’ll make our adjustments. We’ll be at home and protect home court.”
Collier notes that Mitchell already rescued the Cavs’ season in January when they got off to a disappointing 17-16 start after posting the best record in the East last year. Mitchell’s usage rate increased as he took on an expanded role in the offense, and he provided a source of encouragement in the locker room by expressing belief in his teammates.
“He’s our vocal leader. He’s our leader in general,” Dean Wade said. “We go as he goes. When we were having a little rough parts of the season, he was just monumental. He just kept us together, didn’t let us split at all, kept everything positive.”
There’s more from Cleveland:
- Meeting with reporters before Game 3, coach Kenny Atkinson dispelled rumors that Mitchell is dealing with an injury, relays Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link). “Normal bumps and bruises, nothing you’re like ‘oh man,'” Atkinson said. “That’s his feedback, knows his body better than anybody else. ‘I’m fine, coach.’ … guys are going to be banged up. That’s part of it.”
- The Cavaliers will need more scoring from Evan Mobley, who didn’t take a single shot in the second half of Thursday’s game, per Joe Reedy of The Associated Press. Center Jarrett Allen, who had 13 points in the loss, agrees with Atkinson’s assessment that the team needs better execution on its pick-and-rolls. “Sometimes I feel like we can just go set the pick, stop waiting for a play, stop waiting for somebody to call us up, and just run the offense from ourselves, not necessarily taking the ball and bringing it up the court, but initiating the offense by just going and setting a screen out of the blue,” Allen said.
- Atkinson and Mitchell both said the team had the right “process” for Game 2, even though it didn’t result in a victory, according to Ryan Lewis of The Akron Beacon Journal. The Cavs were betrayed by their shooting as they connected at just 38.8% from the field and 25.7% from three-point range. “I thought we had a lot of good looks, a lot of good looks from three, good looks at the rim — I thought our process was right,” Atkinson said. “[We] took care of the ball, offensive rebounded. I think it wasn’t a great shooting night. At the end of the day, you got to put the ball in the hole.”
- Atkinson decided to keep his starting lineup intact instead of replacing Wade, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link).
Cavaliers Expected To Re-Sign James Harden To Multiyear Deal
No matter what happens in Sunday night’s Game 7 at Detroit, the Cavaliers plan to re-sign James Harden this summer, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Windhorst suggests an “understanding” that a multiyear contract would be forthcoming was likely in place before Cleveland sent Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick to the Clippers in exchange for Harden at the trade deadline. Harden was in position to veto a trade and probably wouldn’t have joined the Cavs without the implicit promise of a new deal.
Windhorst hears that the organization worked to establish a bond with Harden before the trade was finalized, as head coach Kenny Atkinson took steps to make him a partner in the team’s success from the first time they talked. Windhorst points out that Harden has excelled throughout his career when he’s had a strong relationship with his coaches, so Atkinson and his staff have been cultivating that from the start.
Harden holds a $42.3MM player option for next season, but the annual salary in his next contract is expected to be smaller in exchange for more long-term security as he turns 37 this summer. That will provide some financial relief for the Cavaliers, who are carrying the league’s highest payroll at $226MM (more than $280MM with the luxury tax factored in) and are the only team currently operating over the second apron.
Windhorst states that a new deal with Harden will also provide some stability amid the uncertainty surrounding Donovan Mitchell, who has a $53.8MM player option for 2027/28 and will carry the equivalent of an expiring contract next season. Mitchell will become extension-eligible in July and can sign a new deal worth up to $272MM over four years. However, Windhorst notes that he would benefit by waiting until 2027 when he’ll have 10 years of service, which means he can increase his next contract to five years at around $350MM and will be eligible for other benefits, including a no-trade clause.
Waiting to sign his next deal means Mitchell will hit free agency next summer, which Windhorst states could lead to an “uncomfortable” situation, especially if the Cavs fail to advance past the second round again. There could be some hesitation about committing to a new deal that pays him $80MM when he’s 35.
An early playoff exit could affect the roster in other ways, Windhorst adds, as rival teams have expressed interest for years in trading for Jarrett Allen. The 28-year-old center is about to enter a three-year, $90MM extension that will make him significantly more expensive for a team that’s already under financial duress. Windhorst cites moving Max Strus, who’ll have a $16.6MM expiring contract next season, as another option, but notes that trading Allen or Strus is unlikely to bring back “star power” that would put Cleveland in position to win a title.
That could lead to discussions on whether to part with Evan Mobley, an elite defender who would generate plenty of interest around the league if the Cavs consider moving him. Windhorst states that the 25-year-old Mobley, who’s in the first season of a five-year, $270MM extension, has been “untouchable” so far.
Central Notes: Mitchell, Mobley, Duren, Edens
Star guard Donovan Mitchell made just 1-of-8 shots for four points in the first half of Game 4 on Monday as the Cavaliers faced a four-point deficit at halftime. However, Mitchell turned things around in a major way after the intermission, scoring 21 third-quarter points and leading Cleveland on a 22-0 run to open the second half, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
Mitchell added 18 more points in the fourth quarter for a total of 39 in the second half, tying Sleepy Floyd‘s playoff record for a single half. After the game, the Cavs veteran attributed his success in the last two quarters to “everybody having my back” after he struggled earlier in the night.
“They continued to understand that, hey, this is what you do,” Mitchell said. “They’re not really tripping on the fact that I started out one-of-whatever, so I think that helps.”
Mitchell had an opportunity to break Floyd’s record at the free throw line in the game’s final minute, but he made just one of two attempts and finished tied with the former Warriors guard. After the victory, Mitchell made it clear he wasn’t bothered by not being able to claim the record for himself.
“We won the game and we’re 2-2 going to Detroit,” Mitchell said. “Everybody let me know that I missed the free throw to break the record though. I will say that. But we’re 2-2 headed to Detroit. That was what we came home to do and that’s all that matters.”
We have more from out of the Central:
- While Mitchell was the star on offense for the Cavaliers in Game 4, head coach Kenny Atkinson was eager to heap praise on former Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley after the victory, as Fedor writes in another Cleveland.com story (subscription required). Mobley has faced some criticism in the postseason, especially after grabbing just one rebound in Cleveland’s Game 2 loss, but Atkinson has insisted that the big man’s impact goes well beyond the box score. “Evan Mobley was phenomenal,” the Cavs’ coach said on Monday. “That was the Defensive Player of the Year right there. I don’t know what the stats say, the traditional stats say, but we know within our locker room how great he’s playing. He affects winning on both ends. We should give a lot of flowers to Evan Mobley for tonight’s performance. Maybe the best I’ve seen him defensively.”
- While Mobley and Jarrett Allen thrived for Cleveland, Pistons center Jalen Duren struggled again in Game 4, registering just eight points and two rebounds. The big man, a restricted free agent this summer, is now averaging 9.5 PPG and 7.0 RPG in the series, and Detroit has been outscored when he’s on the court. “I’ve just gotta be better, man,” Duren said after the loss, per Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). “I have no excuses. I’m my biggest critic. I know what I’ve gotta do to be able to contribute to our team and our success, and I’m staying on myself about doing that no matter what the case may be. I’ve got great teammates, a great coaching staff. I know that as a group we’re going to come back stronger, I have no doubt about it.”
- Bucks co-owner Wes Edens is the victim of an alleged $1 billion extortion scheme, according to reports from James Fanelli and Corinne Ramey of The Wall Street Journal and Steven Martinez of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Changli “Sophia” Luo faces federal blackmail and extortion charges after threatening to publicize explicit videos and photos of her and Edens after a brief affair. A spokesperson for Edens said the Bucks governor “expects to testify under oath at the upcoming trial.”
Bucks Notes: Giannis, Celtics, Cavs, Jenkins, More
People around the league continue to believe that regaining control of their own draft capital is likely to appeal to the Bucks in any potential trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). That could bode well for the involvement of the Trail Blazers, who control Milwaukee’s three drafts from 2028-30.
Jaylen Brown recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Celtics after his mentor Tracy McGrady suggested the veteran wing was frustrated in Boston. While Fischer says there has been some speculation about a Brown-for-Giannis trade, he hears the Celtics only expressed “cursory interest” in Antetokounmpo ahead of the February deadline.
Fischer “never got the sense” that Boston was a real suitor for Giannis and also never got the impression that the two-time MVP was intrigued by the possibility of joining the Celtics. But if a deal involving those two players did come to pass, rival teams believe the Bucks would look to involve other teams to acquire additional assets for Brown, rather than keeping him for themselves.
Here are a few more rumors and notes related to the Bucks:
- The Celtics may or may not be a suitor for Giannis, but people around the league think the Cavaliers could be if they fail to advance past the second round of the playoffs, Fischer writes. Sources tell The Stein Line that Cleveland contacted Milwaukee about the 31-year-old power forward ahead of the deadline and the Bucks asked for Evan Mobley and all of the Cavs’ available draft capital. As Fischer notes, Donovan Mitchell‘s contract situation is very similar to Antetokounmpo’s — he’ll be extension-eligible this offseason and could be a free agent in 2027 if he declines his 2027/28 player option.
- General manager Jon Horst told reporters — including Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required) — that Antetokounmpo didn’t meet with new head coach Taylor Jenkins during the team’s interview process, but the two have spoken. For what it’s worth, Antetokounmpo told Owczarski he endorsed the move. Jenkins is a former Bucks assistant who was the Grizzlies’ head coach for six years prior to being let go at the end of 2024/25. “I think he’s an incredible person,” Antetokounmpo said of Jenkins. “Obviously, he’s an incredible coach. I was able to be with him in 2019 and we made the Eastern Conference Finals. After that he left, he was one of the first coaches that left the coaching staff and went to Memphis and he had an incredible six years in Memphis. He made them contenders in the West. He had incredible culture in Memphis. I had the conversation. I don’t think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they’re getting a good person. And that’s where it starts with. Having a good person around that’s gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He’s a really good coach.”
- In a separate subscriber-only story, Owczarski passes along some highlights from Jenkins’ introductory press conference, which also featured Horst and co-owner Jimmy Haslam. Jenkins said his one-year stint in Milwaukee and his respect for Horst played critical roles in his decision to rejoin the Bucks. “When this opportunity became available, I was like, I know the people,” Jenkins said as part of a larger quote. “I know what they stand for. I know what their standards are going to be on a day-to-day basis, and naturally, as we navigated this past season as a family – got to spend a lot of great quality time with them – we were very intentional about the things that matter to us, both personally and professionally. And the people, that’s the thing that really gravitated us back here to Milwaukee.”
Cavs Notes: Allen, Harden, Mitchell, Flaws, Bickerstaff
Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen muffled some of his critics with his performance in Game 7 on Sunday. Allen erupted for 22 points and 19 rebounds as the Cavs closed out the Raptors.
“I always feel like in this league when you get a certain label, it always sticks with you no matter what,” Allen told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “No matter how hard you try to change it, it’s always going to follow you around. I think that if I play on my mind with wanting to change a narrative that was placed on me about prior performances, that’s going to weaken my strengths going forward and always try to weigh me back. I’ve always been the guy that just moved forward. Things happened in the past that go my way, that don’t go my way and that’s just part of playing basketball, being at the professional level. Just be my best going forward.”
Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said it was Allen’s best performance that he’s witnessed.
“Really took us over the top,” Atkinson said. “Best I’ve seen him. Coached him a long time. Known him for lots — that’s the best I’ve seen him.”
Here’s more on the Cavs:
- Allen’s outing allowed Cleveland to survive despite relatively modest outings from James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, ESPN’s Jamal Collier notes. Mitchell finished with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting, and Harden had 18 points on 3-of-9 shooting. “[Harden] and I individually have had big nights,” Mitchell said. “We’ve had 50-balls, we’ve had bad nights, but at the end of the day, we haven’t won. We’re going to continue to be ourselves, right? But in the same focus, it isn’t just about me and him. It’s [Allen], it’s [Evan Mobley] … It’s everybody in that locker room.”
- Joe Vardon of The Athletic opines that the first-round series showed the Cavs’ flaws, which could lead to their elimination in the next round against the top-seeded Pistons. “(It showed) that they are vulnerable,” Vardon writes in an Athletic roundtable discussion. “Extremely vulnerable to ball pressure, to length on the wings, to teams that are willing to grab and claw and get into their chests. I think any playoff team that challenges Cleveland physically has a chance to advance. This is simply not an organization built to bang. But if you give the Cavs space, you see the offensive juggernaut they can be. Oh, we also saw when the Cavs bother to look inside, to Allen and to Evan Mobley, it opens up the rest of the offense.”
- The Cavs will be going up against their former coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, which will make for a juice storyline, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic notes. Bickerstaff will know how to guard Mitchell as well as any coach in the league, Lloyd adds, and the Cavs need the best version of Mitchell and Harden to advance.