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Could Darius Garland be moved by Cleveland in the offseason?
The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to one of the best starts in NBA history, going a perfect 15-0 to start. They ended up with the first seed in the East and plenty assumed an easy path to the Eastern Conference Finals, if not a championship. But things didn’t go as planned. After a commanding series win over the Heat, the Cavs lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers.
Now the Cavs are rumored to be making only two players untouchable in trade negotiations: All-NBA First Team guard Donovan Mitchell and Defensive Player of The Year Evan Mobley. The guard duo of Mitchell and Darius Garland struggled to defend Tyrese Haliburton and was in part why they lost the series.
REPORT: The Cavs are now “more willing” to entertain trades for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, per @ChrisFedor.
“I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. And like I have been getting the sense that like the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and… pic.twitter.com/OAexCNGugJ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 29, 2025
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Needing help, why not install Haliburton’s cousin, Jalen Suggs, onto the roster?
Jalen Suggs would provide an immediate defense spark in Cleveland’s backcourt.
Why it Makes Sense for Cleveland
“I think there’s a framework of a deal between the Cavs and the Magic that would involve Darius Garland and Jalen Suggs.”
— @ChrisFedor pic.twitter.com/gMF1buAo4I
— Mave Sports Network (@mave_sports007) May 29, 2025
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NBA reporter Chris Fedor hypothesized that there could be a trade that works out between the Cavaliers and Orlando Magic which would see the teams swap Darius Garland and Jalen Suggs.
For Cleveland, Suggs would be an immediate upgrade defensively over Garland. Suggs provides a defensive tenacity that Garland cannot which will complement Mitchell well in Cleveland’s backcourt. Suggs’s ability to defend a larger guard such as Haliburton would allow the Cavaliers to be more versatile defensively as they at times lacked strong perimeter defense.
Last year in limited action due to injury, Suggs averaged 16.2 points and 3.7 assists a night. The 3-point percentage isn’t where fans would want it to be, but his free throw numbers suggest room for improvement. He may not be as talented on offense as Garland, he’s still a solid playmaker who can play off the ball alongside Mitchell and Mobley.
Suggs also comes at a much cheaper price point than Garland which will allow Cleveland to have some better financial flexibility under the NBA’s stringent salary cap rules.
GettyDarius Garland could be the answer at point guard for the Orlando Magic.
Why it Makes Sense for Orlando
The 2024-25 season represented an absolute failure from behind the three-point line for the Orlando Magic. As a team, they finished last in the NBA in 3-point percentage. The gap between them and the 29th ranked team was larger than the gap between 29th and 22nd. Garland, a 40.1 percent shooter from deep and 38.8 percent mark on his career, will assuredly assuage Orlando’s shooting woes.
The Magic also lack a definitive lead guard. A two-time All Star, Garland would be able to slide right in to create beyond the 3-point line and feed fellow stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for easy buckets.
Orlando’s front office has said it is now looking through a “win now” lens as it progresses in its team building, and acquiring Garland would represent an significant stride in making that come true. A lead guard like Garland could be the help Orlando needs to get themselves over the hump in the East.