ESPN’s Brian Windhorst weighed in on the likelihood of watching the Cleveland Cavs trade All-Star Darius Garland during the offseason. Garland will miss time due to toe surgery, and with the Cavs’ payroll on the cusp of entering the second apron, some wonder if Cleveland will be fielding trade offers. However, Windhorst doesn’t expect that to be the case this summer.
Garland is staying put, Windhorst bluntly stated, per 850 ESPN Cleveland.
“Obviously, Darius Garland is not getting traded,” Windhorst said. “Here’s the thing, this is the nuance, the nuance is that the Cavs are going to pick up the phone because once July 1st hits, they go into the second apron. They are completely shut down from making a lot of moves. So, there’s a nuance between we are taking phone calls and we are looking to make trades.”
Cavs will keep their options open, but chances are, they won’t be trying to trade Garland anytime soon.
“If anything, the fact that Garland’s injury was so severe that he needs this significant, really kind of serious surgery, that is just an indication of how limited he was in that series,” Windhorst added. “So, if anything, if you’re the Cavs, it stinks that we had to go through this playoffs with one of our All-Stars wounded, and let’s maybe try to see what happens when our All-Stars are not wounded.”
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After the Cavs’ historic regular season, winning a franchise record 64 games, their playoff run was hindered by Garland’s foot injury. Cavs All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Garland weren’t at full strength, which, if you’re the front office, is something you want to see in the postseason.
Cavs have ‘little interest’ in trading Darius Garland
Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and guard Donovan Mitchell (45) react during the second half against the Indiana Pacers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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NBA analysts, such as ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and NBA insider Jake Fischer, glance at potential teams that would be interested in trading for the veteran All-Star. One says the Cavs would have ‘little interest’ in trading Darius Garland to the Magic. For a team that finished the regular season atop the Eastern Conference standings, the Cavs should consider the Magic a threat.
For that reason alone, the Cavs wouldn’t be interested in a deal with the Magic, per NBA Insider Jake Fischer.
“For all the noise these days around Darius Garland in Cleveland, we’ve been reliably told that the Cavaliers and Magic have not held substantive conversations on a Garland deal … and that Cleveland has little interest in helping Orlando improve its standing in the Eastern Conference,” Fischer reported, per The Stein Line.
The Magic, a young and talented playoff team on the rise, could be one All-Star away from becoming a championship contender.