The Cleveland Cavaliers are more open to trading Darius Garland than they have ever been before, and the player rumors are buzzing around right now is Jalen Suggs of the Orlando Magic.
As we detailed here, the basic theory of the deal makes sense. Suggs is an elite perimeter defender and a high-level connective tissue player on offense. His 3-point shot is inconsistent and his injury history is worrisome, but he checks a lot of boxes as the centerpiece of a return for Darius Garland.
At the same time, he cannot be the only player the Cavs get back, even though their contracts are close. Garland is a better player and, despite his end to the season, a healthier player. The Magic would need to send back real assets alongside Garland to make a trade viable.
The Cavaliers are in a position to compete for a title, right now. The Eastern Conference has never been more wide open. A healthy Garland may have meant an NBA Finals berth this year. Their window is wide open, and so trading for picks and prospects doesn't make much sense. Whatever return Cleveland receives for Garland, it has to make them a better team in the present.
Let's build out a trade for the Cavaliers and Magic that pulls in a third team, rerouting a draft pick in order to offload salary for Cleveland -- addressing their second apron tax concerns -- and address a need at backup center in the same move.
Building a 3-team trade for Darius Garland
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently over the second luxury tax apron, which means that they cannot "aggregate" salaries in a deal. That doesn't mean they cannot trade multiple players in a deal, merely that their path to matching salaries cannot include adding two salaries together.
Darius Garland heads to the Orlando Magic, giving them the shooter and scorer in the backcourt they have lacked for years. His off-ball impact is also ideal with a pair of on-ball forwards, and it's very possible this trade vaults them into the top half of Eastern Conference playoff teams next season.
They send back to the Cavaliers Jalen Suggs, last year's first round rookie Tristan Da Silva, and a pair of first-round picks, including No. 25 in this year's draft. The Cavs get a backcourt partner for Donovan Mitchell who appears to fit like a glove and will help Cleveland pursue a more balanced identity next season.
Then the Cavs pivot, adding in the Portland Trail Blazers to the trade. Cleveland no longer has a need for Isaac Okoro given the addition of Suggs, but they do need help at backup center -- and to offload salary. Here is the trade in full:
Portland needs a player like Isaac Okoro, so they likely view his value as something close to neutral. A late first-round pick incentivizes them to use their room under the luxury tax on Okoro and to send back Duop Reath to Cleveland. Reath is a poor man's Myles Turner, a 3-point shooting center with decent defensive skills. He's the fourth center in Portland but would slot in behind Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in Cleveland.
The Magic keep their best first-round pick this season and trade two lower-level firsts along with Da Silva and Suggs to make the trade happen. To continue the comparisons, Da Silva is a poor man's De'Andre Hunter and can pair with Jaylon Tyson as young forward depth to develop as long-term replacements to Dean Wade and Hunter.
Is this trade enough to move on from Darius Garland? There are obvious things to like, from Suggs' incredible impact on his team's defense and competitive culture to Reath's ideal skillset as the backup center. They also add a future first-round pick to turn around and use in another trade.
At the same time, Suggs' injury history is extremely worrisome; when healthy he is an extremely valuable player, but he is rarely healthy. He has played 53 games or fewer in three of his four seasons.
The one season that he was healthy, however, he showed his ceiling. He was at his best defensively and shot the best that he ever has; small-sample coincidence, perhaps, or a sign that when every link in the shooting chain is healthy he is a competent shooter.
The idea of Suggs is alluring; the reality is risky. This trade seems like it brings too much risk and too much breaking down of one elite asset into smaller, less impactful assets. The Cavaliers should have a conversation about this one, but ultimately turn it down.
Grade: B-