The Cleveland Cavaliers, who historically over the last few years have been an incredible regular-season team, have gotten off on the wrong foot to start the 2025-26 season.
They're currently 17-14, and sit in the seventh seed of the Eastern Conference, a far cry from their usual top seeding. Recently, they lost to the Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler-less Golden State Warriors and suffered a 16-point defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls.
It may be time for some changes in Cleveland, and with the latest rumblings surrounding star point guard Darius Garland, the Cavs' best trade chip may be their homegrown guard.
Darius Garland reportedly wants to run his own team again
According to Dallas Hoops Journal's Grant Afseth, Garland may be tired of playing a complementary role to All-NBA talent Donovan Mitchell.
"Additionally, the intel from some NBA teams is a perception that Garland would like to run his own team again at some point, as opposed to being in a more complementary role next to Mitchell," wrote Afseth.
"'Darius is the safest option on the trade market for a team seeking a point guard upgrade,' a source said. 'There are teams who think he can handle more being put on his plate.'"
If the Cavaliers feel like the team is stagnating, and they need to make a desperate move to shake up their fortunes, breaking up the backcourt of Garland and Mitchell seems like the best way to do it.
The fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, Garland could fetch a high price on the trade market for a team looking for a young point guard to build around.
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