The Cavs aren’t likely to trade their All-Star point guard.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shut down any notion of the Cleveland Cavaliers trying to trade Darius Garland this summer. He explains that just because they’ll be listening to offers does not mean the Cavs are actively shopping Garland.
“Obviously Darius Garland is not getting traded,” Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. “Here’s the nuance, the Cavs are going to pick up the phone… there’s a nuance between we are taking phone calls and are looking to make trades.”
Garland is coming off the best season of his career. Even if his per-game stats don’t show it. The Cavaliers roared to 64 wins and a historic offensive rating behind Garland’s mastery at point guard. It’s no coincidence that all crumbled when he suffered a demobilizing toe injury.
“If anything, the fact that Garland’s injury was so severe… that is an indication of how limited he was in that series,” said Windhorst. “If anything, you’re the Cavs and you’re saying… let’s maybe try to see what happens when our All-Stars are not wounded.”
This train of thought makes sense. The Cavs didn’t stroll into a second round series at full strength and get knocked on their butts. They limped against a title-contending squad that beat them fair and square. There’s enough reason to think a healthy Cavaliers could have won the series — or at the very least, been much more competitive.
For this reason, the impulse to trade everyone feels like a knee-jerk overreaction. Moving Garland would be especially risky. The Cavs will be competing for a title next season if the core is healthy. They might not get that opportunity if they swing on the wrong trade.
Maybe we can finally stop talking about this now? Probably not. It’s going to be a long summer.