For the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2024 offseason is expected to be extremely important. The Cavaliers want to retain Donovan Mitchell for the long run, and it appears that they will base all of their big team choices on persuading him to return to Cleveland. Additionally, Darius Garland may find himself on the move if Mitchell decides to commit his long-term career to the Cavaliers, as he will be forced to play second fiddle to Mitchell in the backcourt for the foreseeable future.
In the event that the Cavaliers opt to keep the 24-year-old point guard in town for the 2024–25 season, trade speculations concerning Garland should therefore continue to be widely discussed throughout this offseason and the ensuing years. According to Hoop Wire’s NBA source, “they are very interested” in bringing in Garland to partner him with Victor Wembanyama, so if he decides to put himself up for trade, the San Antonio Spurs should be among the clubs interested in making a move for him.
But should the need arise, the Spurs won’t be the only team in the Darius Garland lottery. The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the teams who are frequently mentioned as being in the running for the Cavs guard; the Los Angeles Lakers, of course, might also be involved. Along with the Atlanta Hawks as a possible trade partner, the Cavaliers received Trae Young in exchange.
Garland’s stock may have dipped from his All-Star campaign two years ago, but it’s important to note that he is only 24 years of age. He should only be entering the prime years of his career. He has shown immense potential as a lead guard, which explains why many teams will be willing to go all out should the Cavs put him on the trade block.
Darius Garland has stagnated over the past two seasons
Darius Garland, who is 22 years old, became a strong lead guard for the Cavaliers and was selected to an All-Star squad. Garland averaged 21.7 points and 8.6 assists in 68 games for the Cavaliers, despite the team’s disappointing finish to the season. There was every reason to believe that he could soon increase those totals even more.
But in 2023, the Cavs acquired Donovan Mitchell; although Cleveland developed and qualified for the playoffs—as a top-half seed, no less—it benched Garland and made him play second fiddle. Despite his still-impressive 2023 average of 21.6 points and 7.8 assists, Mitchell’s arrival resulted in less plays for the player the team had previously considered its cornerstone.
Darius Garland’s usage dropped even further this past season, and he never really got any sort of rhythm going. Due to a myriad of injuries, Garland put up a season that was more in line with his sophomore campaign. Now, his second season in the league wasn’t exactly bad, but that meant that instead of improving, he was stagnating. Garland also had his fair share of efficiency and turnover problems, and in the postseason, those troubles continued to plague him.
Since Garland’s massive contract began to pay off at the beginning of the 2023–24 season, a drop in output was certain to be disappointing. Donovan Mitchell is shortly due for a massive extension, so the Cavaliers are now considering if it would be worth it to commit a significant amount of financial room to a skilled but undersized backcourt.
But with some changes coming the Cavs’ way, it may be best for them not to jump the gun and wait for the dust to settle on other pressing matters before deciding on a course of action regarding Garland’s future.
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