It was just a few days ago that the Cleveland Cavaliers were expressing interest in Philadelphia 76ers forward Tobias Harris. Harris was rumored to possibly be on the move before the draft and it does not appear any sort of transaction of any type is coming soon considering how much they want in return for his services.
According to a report, Philadelphia wanted the Cavs to trade Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and some sort of draft compensation for Tobias Harris. This is a completely ridiculous ask and cannot be taken seriously. The 76ers have tried this tactic before when trying to move others in the past, particularly Ben Simmons. While swapping the almost useless Simmons for James Harden is a clear upgrade, it did not lead to achieving their ultimate goal.
From a Cavs perspective this would be an instant no to the trade compensation that Philadelphia requested. Harris is a fine player, but not a franchise altering one. The trade package that Philly wanted is too much for a player such as Harris.
The main problem is Mobley being included. Mobley is a player that Cleveland is banking on to be a major piece of their future. Whether he lives up to the lofty expectations is up for debate, but engaging in a non-sensical, irrational, and delusional trade request as this is a complete waste of time. Unless a player that would be coming back to the Cavs was an already established and young legitimate superstar, Mobley is not going anywhere any time soon.
If it was Allen a draft pick and some other assortment of players that did not include any other starters it would be one thing. But the ask is way too much and honestly quite laughable in the grand scheme of things. Let’s be real here, there is not one team that would accept a similar request from Philly for Tobias Harris. Harris is very much a complimentary player and giving up two starters is a, well, non-starter.
