NBA Executive Urges Cavaliers to Move Darius Garland
nba-executive-urges-cavaliers-to-move-darius-garland
An unnamed league executive believes the Cleveland Cavaliers should part with point guard Darius Garland to resolve the team’s undersized backcourt, according to comments made to reporter Ashish Mathur of Roundtable.
“I think they need to trade Darius,” the executive said, noting that pairing Garland with fellow guard Donovan Mitchell leaves the lineup too small. The same executive endorsed the idea of acquiring Lonzo Ball and starting him alongside Mitchell, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
The executive added that the Sacramento Kings showed interest in Garland before trading for Dennis Schroder this offseason. He suggested Cleveland revisit that conversation and offer Garland in exchange for guard Malik Monk plus additional salary to balance the deal.
Garland, 24, is recovering from offseason surgery to repair a toe injury suffered during the 2025 playoffs and is expected to miss the beginning of the upcoming season. When healthy, the two-time All-Star averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists across 75 games last year, shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 87.8 percent from the free-throw line.
The proposal carries risk: Ball has appeared in only 35 games over the past three seasons because of knee issues, and the Cavaliers have not advanced beyond the second round of the playoffs with the Garland-Mitchell tandem.
Source: Hoops Wire
