Grade the Trade: Cavaliers send Garland to Brooklyn in shocking proposal

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a core four of young players, all with different skill sets. From Darius Garland’s passing to Donovan Mitchell’s scoring to Evan Mobley’s defense in space to Jarrett Allen’s rim protection, this group deserves time to grow together and up in general.

That hasn’t kept rumors from swirling around Jarrett Allen all summer, and the logic for why an Allen trade might be necessary is sound, even if the most likely outcome was always that this group would get to run it back. This week’s rumors, however, were much more troublesome.

Are the Cavaliers trying to trade Darius Garland?

Word leaked out courtesy of one rumor-mongerer we don’t care to name here at KJG, but was also repeated by Fox Sports’ John Fanta (nominally a college basketball reporter and analyst but based in Ohio). The rumor? That the Cavaliers were considering trades for All-Star point guard Darius Garland.

Those rumors were immediately shot down by people who have real, proven connections inside of the Cavaliers organization. Brian Windhorst and Chris Fedor immediately set the record straight:

Let’s take just a moment to dwell in those flimsy waters, however. What if the Cavs were open to shopping Garland? How much of a trade return would he command? Different teams would offer different packages, but let’s compare Garland to one other point guard “not” on the trade market: Damian Lillard.

The Brooklyn Nets have been linked to Lillard, so it’s reasonable that they would also be interested in a younger, less-proven All-Star point guard. What kind of massive package might it take to provide fair value for a player like Garland? Let’s unpack a potential trade in order to highlight just how valuable Garland is.