CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs’ offseason, which began months earlier than anyone in the organization imagined, is well underway.
With roster-related uncertainty, salary cap limitations and mirror tests, this summer could shape Cleveland’s future and determine whether it can truly take the next step.
* NBA Draft (the Cavs have two second-round picks and workouts started weeks ago).
* Free agency. (Rotational mainstays Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill are both unrestricted).
* Coaching changes (assistant Jordan Ott was named Phoenix Suns head coach and Johnnie Bryant could be on the New York Knicks’ list to replace fired Tom Thibodeau).
But the biggest decision centers on the talented, top-heavy and pricey roster.
**Run it back?**
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Do the Cavs, eliminated from the playoffs in the second round by Eastern Conference champion Indiana, run this core group back or opt for changes?
Cleveland could theoretically convince itself that health once again played a critical role in this latest flameout.
Despite logging a career-high 75 games in the regular season, All-Star point guard Darius Garland missed four playoff games, including the first two of the semifinals, because of a painful toe injury that clearly hindered him — and eventually required surgery.
All-NBA second-teamer Evan Mobley gutted through a sprained ankle suffered late in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against Indiana. De’Andre Hunter, the team’s prized trade deadline acquisition, dislocated his thumb in that same game — an injury that forced him out of Game 2 and played part in his substandard performance, averaging just 9.0 points on 36.7% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range in four games.
How different would the outcome have been with those three at full strength — or, at least, closer to it than they were?
That’s part of the front office’s evaluation.
Decision-makers could also assume a level of improvement in the second go-around with reigning Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson, who will get a full offseason to reflect and make any stylistic adjustments. There could be another step coming from Mobley. Maybe a postseason breakthrough from Garland. Perhaps springtime lessons will lead to teamwide maturity.
“I’m really high on and optimistic about our future,” president of basketball operations Koby Altman said during his end-of-season press conference on May 19. “That being said, it can’t just be 82 games. We have to figure out this next 16. We have to figure out how to get over the hump. This group has shown they can play some of the best basketball in the world. It’s how do we do it on the highest stage and continue to keep pushing to get over that hump?”
The playoffs are different. The Cavs have seen that. They have learned it the hard way.
Is this team good enough, as presently constructed, to play for a title? That’s the only question Altman — and his trusted executives — need to ask.
**Try something different?**
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What if the answer is _no_? What if change is required? What if that next step demands something — or _someone_ — different? There’s no coaching eject button this time. The Cavs already pushed that, following last year’s playoff exit in which they dismissed J.B. Bickerstaff and hired Atkinson.
Forget the draft. Nos. 49 and 58 aren’t moving the short-term needle. Not for a team with championship aspirations, anyway.
Free agency won’t bring much. Not only is it a shallow pool, but as a second apron team, cap-strapped Cleveland does not have access to the mid-level exception or the less lucrative taxpayer mid-level exception. It can only offer minimum-level contracts to free agents who are not already under team control. Think about the types of players who receive those deals. Will the addition of a minimum-level player or two or three really help close the proverbial gap?
That leaves a trade — even though painful and difficult — as the most logical pathway to substantial improvement. And that’s part of the reason for the widespread chatter about Garland, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and others.
On the heels of cleveland.com’s recent reporting that the Cavs don’t view Garland and Allen — two members of the Core 4 — as “untouchables” and are more willing to entertain the possibility of moving either player than in year’s past, [ESPN NBA Insider Brian Windhorst said](https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/06/windhorst-cavs-listening-to-offers-for-darius-garland.html) the Cavs were listening to trade offers for Garland and are “open-minded” about the possibility of dealing him if it improves the roster.
There are lots of ifs here. Is there a deal out there that would make Cleveland better? Listening and saying yes are two different things. Considering it and actually pulling the trigger are two different things.
But the Cavs lack financial flexibility, have limited draft capital and a dearth of enticing trade assets — unless they are willing to part with Garland, the uber talented 25-year-old two-time All-Star who was once a foundational piece of the franchise renaissance and is currently the longest-tenured Cavalier. Moving on from Allen is another option — although the potential return package would not be as groundbreaking.
**What would a trade look like?**
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So, what _could_ a Garland blockbuster look like — even with him [headed for a 4–5-month recovery process following surgery on his big toe](https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2025/06/darius-garland-undergoes-offseason-surgery.html)?
Garland is set to make $39.4 million in 2025-26, and any deal would require matching salary — a complicated situation given the Cavs can’t aggregate salaries without triggering a hard cap, something they would surely prefer to avoid. A third team could get involved. Maybe even a fourth. The Cavs would need to be creative.
### **Orlando Magic**
_**Cavs get:**_ _Jalen Suggs, Tristan Da Silva_
_**Magic get:**_ _Garland_
Speculation has already run wild on this fake trade since cleveland.com discussed the general framework during an episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast.
One of the primary questions about Garland’s playoff viability centers on his defensive limitations and how much those become magnified sharing the backcourt with “undersized” Donovan Mitchell.
In more than 2,300 regular-season minutes, the Cavs had a 113.4 defensive rating with Garland on the floor. In 1,650 minutes without him, the Cavs got better, with a rating that improved to 106.6 — a number on equal footing with the top-ranked Thunder.
Garland landed in the eighth percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus and had a negative defensive box plus-minus for the sixth consecutive season.
During the postseason, those on-off defensive metrics were even more alarming.
The Cavs had a defensive rating of 125.9 with him on the court and a 101.7 with him off. All stats require context. In three of those games, Garland was hobbled. Then again, in a mostly healthy Miami series, against a wretched offense, the numbers weren’t flattering and multiple Heat players quipped about Garland’s lackluster defense. It was a 119.8 defensive rating with him on and a 93.3 rating with him off.
The belief is Garland’s masterful offensive exploits, especially alongside Mitchell, will help mask any other shortcomings. It’s why the Cavs have tried to surround Garland with a plethora of plus-defenders (Allen, Wade, Okoro, Hunter and Evan Mobley, among others).
But what if the 6-foot-1, 192-pound Garland will always be physically limited at that end? What if the Cavs can’t deploy the switch-heavy strategy that Atkinson believes in because Garland will get hunted relentlessly? What if the Cavs are always forced to scheme around those flaws? What if playoff-level physicality continues to be an issue? What if Garland isn’t transcendent enough at the other end to offset?
The Cavs owe it to themselves to ask the hard questions.
Enter Suggs — a feisty, 24-year-old defensive bulldog who ranked in the 97th percentile in defensive estimated plus-minus and was NBA All-Defensive second team a year ago.
Suggs is not more talented. He doesn’t have a pair of All-Star appearances on his resume. He isn’t the same level playmaker, distributor or scorer. He has offensive shortcomings and injury concerns.
But ...
It isn’t hard to see him fitting on this Cleveland roster and surviving — probably thriving — in a playoff environment. It’s also fair to wonder how much better Suggs would look in a more free-flowing, player-friendly system outside of Orlando.
Da Silva is a former first-round pick with a team-friendly contract who could provide more depth on the wing and help from a salary-matching perspective.
### **New Orleans Pelicans**
_**Cavs get:**_ _Trey Murphy III, Kelly Olynyk and Jose Alvarado_
_**Pelicans get:**_ _Garland_
Too much? Not enough? Just right?
The idea of any hypothetical Garland trade is to take one star and turn it into multiple rotational pieces, with an understanding that the Cavs would take a step back in pure talent. That’s part of the appeal of this trade. Plus, it comes with Murphy — an alluring 6-foot-8 three-level scorer with unlimited range and multi-positional versatility.
Mitchell shifts to point guard. Max Strus moves over one spot. Murphy becomes the permanent starting small forward. Allen and Mobley join him in the frontcourt. Size. Length. Switchability. Offense. Defense. A secondary ballhandler. More usage for Mobley. Added depth. Even an old Cleveland villain!
How does that sound?
Would the Pelicans, with new management and an unclear direction, see Garland as a way to jumpstart this new era? Would parting with Murphy, once considered essentially off limits by the previous regime, even be an option?
### **Minnesota Timberwolves**
_**Cavs get:**_ _Jaden McDaniels, Terrance Shannon Jr., Donte DiVincenzo_
_**Timberwolves get:**_ _Garland_
The salary is close. Minnesota has been a long-time Garland admirer — even going back to 2019 draft night — and it needs shot creation alongside Anthony Edwards. Perhaps being surrounded by dogged, lengthy perimeter defenders and the league’s preeminent rim protector (Rudy Gobert) will help Garland?
Following back-to-back conference finals losses, the Timberwolves could get aggressive this summer.
In this case, the Cavs get three rotational pieces, including a proven playoff performer (McDaniels) and the sharpshooting DiVincenzo who has not only been on their trade target list in the past but has familiarity with Atkinson from their one year in Golden State together.
### **Sacramento Kings**
The Kings need a point guard after their midseason trade involving De’Aaron Fox. They reportedly have interest in Garland too. But finding a match — both from a stylistic and salary perspective — is not easy. Can’t imagine Cleveland would be interested in iso-heavy DeMar DeRozan or Zach LaVine.