Cleveland took a big swing on Donovan Mitchell and seemed to have a very promising core before its collapse against the Knicks; a well-coached team, but one that does not have the star power Cleveland fielded. On the flipside, with Joel Embiid publicly musing that he might win a championship elsewhere, and with Harden a foot out the door, Philadelphia may decide to trade Embiid before he weakens their leverage by demanding a trade to only one destination (NYC? Miami?)

76ers get: Garland, Mobley Cavs get: Embiid

Why the 76ers do this: Garland's an all-star level player, and Mobley is exactly the kind of guy you would want to develop and build around. While New York can offer a bevy of picks, I'd far rather have a budding star or two in hand than 5-6 shots in what could be late lottery picks. Make a trade while Embiid's value is high, tank these next two years (they own their own pick this year and top 6 protected next year) and emerge in 2026 with Garland at 26 in his prime, Mobley a more polished player, and 1 or 2 top 6 picks, and this team can have new life.

Why the Cavs do this: Their current roster is not enough to take them to the next level. And if they lost to NYC, I can't imagine a matchup against say, Boston or Miami, would go any better. Garland is amazing, but he plays a position where there are alot of guys who can do a good portion of what he does at a lower price-point, and there is clearly some redundancy with him and Garland. Attempting to do this trade without Garland would cause the Cavs to lose their remaining picks and their remaining depth.

For Mobley, this is like the Warriors doing a two timelines approach. His sophmore regression might be just a bump before his third year bloom as happens for many young players, but do the Cavs want to take that risk? Why not pair Mitchell with a MVP level guy now

This trade also lets them keep Allen, Okoro, and picks; they could shop those around to shore up their wing depth and make a championship push