The NBA is making it crystal clear that small guards are going the way of the dodo bird. Yet despite this leaguewide shift, the Cleveland Cavaliers continue to stay committed to their pair of diminutive dime-smiths, hoping to somehow win despite themselves. Do Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell have any hope of winning a title together?
Trae Young is a four-time All-Star who routinely puts up massive scoring numbers and robust assist totals while bringing the highlight plays and name recognition that accompany a true star. When he hit the trade market, he should have returned a strong return.
Instead, he was just traded for an expiring contract and a backup wing. Not a prospect, not a draft pick, not anything of real value. And few were surprised; by the time the Atlanta Hawks were ready to shop Young in earnest, his trade value had shriveled up into a husk.
The NBA doesn't want small guards
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Why is that? The simple fact that for all of Trae Young's scoring and playmaking ability, his size (listed at 6'2" but realistically under six foot) limits him to being a below-average defender. Add in that he doesn't bring much effort on that end and is a minus athlete and you get one of the league's worst defenders.
Teams aren't looking for a weak link on defense anymore. Opponents are pushing on every weakness. With the shift toward fast, strong, long athletes at every position on defense, small guards are vanishing in the playoffs as they are overwhelmed by the pressure and intensity they have to face.
The shift is hardly limited to just Trae Young. Ja Morant is on the trade market but unlikely to command a king's ransom. Collin Sexton is in line for a tiny contract this summer in free agency. Teams are loading up on length and avoiding minnows with prejudice.
Donovan Mitchell is certainly no stranger to big playoff moments, and at 6'3" with plus athleticism he is probably far enough up the scale not to be part of the target audience. Yet he is not a 6'7" ball handler, nor is he a defensive dynamo.
Putting Mitchell next to a small guard, such as the 6'1" Darius Garland, is something of a defensive death sentence. To Cleveland's credit, it hasn't been over the last few years, but that has taken two All-Defense type players on the back line. That comes with its own difficulties.
The Cavaliers are set up for failure
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Look at the recent history of NBA champions and you see a clear pattern: no small guards. It's length, it's size, it's big playmakers and initiation from various spots. Point guards are important, but they had better be 6'4" and above. They certainly can't be small _and_ paired with another small guard.
Yet the Cavaliers continue to be committed to their backcourt of the 6'1" Darius Garland and the 6'2" Donovan Mitchell. Their best options at small forward are usually the 6'5" Max Strus or the 6'4" Sam Merrill.
You cannot win a championship in the modern NBA with that complete and utter lack of size. The other contending teams get it; the New York Knicks may have Jalen Brunson at the point, but they surround him with size. The Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons are all huge in the East. The Oklahoma City Thunder are flush with length. The Denver Nuggets' only small fry is Jamal Murray; the Houston Rockets have a starting lineup entirely 6'7" and above.
The Cavaliers aren't winning with Garland and Mitchell together. They have to split them up to achieve their ceiling. That doesn't mean they will get back the return that they need; the Cavs also have to find a team willing to pay them commensurate value for a small guard, in a league where everyone is wising up to their need for size.
The NBA gets it. The lack of a market for Trae Young shows they know such a player is not the path to victory. Unfortunately for Cleveland, they have yet to figure it out.
By the time that they do, it may be too late.