With the Cavaliers struggling at the start, the trade winds are a-blowin’. The list of names in those winds is fairly long, and yes, All-Star point guard Darius Garland is among them.
Sources have told Hoops Wire that the Cavs aren’t feeling desperate (yet) to make a trade. They’d like to see their injury-riddled group whole — or at least closer to it — before they make a call on the roster.
Either way, Garland is viewed as one of their bigger prizes should they start exploring deals.
“In terms of roster movement, Garland is viewed as an attractive trade candidate around the NBA with fewer risk than some of the other high-profile guards that teams are monitoring, including Ja Morant, LaMelo Ball, and Trae Young,” wrote Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal. “Additionally, the intel from some NBA teams is a perception that Garland would like to run his own team again at some point, as opposed to being in a more complementary role next to (Donovan Mitchell).”
One NBA source supported that point.
“Darius is the safest option on the trade market for a team seeking a point guard upgrade,” the source told Afseth. “There are teams who think he can handle more being put on his plate.”
By all accounts, the Cavaliers are not looking to move Garland at the moment. He just now seems to be himself after offseason toe surgery. The Cavs probably didn’t do him any favors by playing him every other game for a while. It’s hard to get into any sort of rhythm that way.
Anyway, he’s back for now and the Cavs still believe Garland and Mitchell can work well together. But belief is one thing. As always, everything must be proven on the court.
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