Darius Garland is one of the main players contributing to the Cleveland Cavaliers' major financial toll in 2025-26. With three years left on his current contract, there should be absolutely no rush to extend that number further in the near future.
Garland is set to collect around $39.4 million in 2025-26. After that, the Cavaliers point guard will be making $42.1 million in 2026-27, and $44.9 million in 2027-28. That is a healthy financial commitment to the two-time All-Star guard.
Zach Lowe brought up Garland on a recent episode of his podcast when discussing extension candidates with The Athletic's NBA insider, Sam Amick. The NBA analyst thought there was a clear path forward for what the Cavaliers do, or rather don't do, with his deal.
Lowe said, "I can't imagine the Cavs are really going to entertain this now, with that much time. ... Let's fast forward a year and then I think it becomes a more realistic discussion. ... The days of you just walking into extensions that starts flat with your current salary, ... I wonder if those are just over."
Darius Garland has plenty to prove before Cavaliers re-commit
The NBA analyst believed the current environment with the second apron has complicated discussions around extensions for players who fall into the tier of Garland. Lowe believed franchises would try to negotiate team-friendly deals, using this past summer of free agency as a motivating factor as to why paydays are no longer guaranteed.
Amick agreed with the thoughts on the matter. The NBA insider highlighted Kevin Durant reportedly needing to consider a deal below max money as a prime example of 'the way things are operating right now.'
Garland, in particular, also has major questions to answer before earning his keep with another max deal. There are two that stick out in particular.
The first of those revolves around health. Garland has proven to be a star player when on the court, but his durability has created points of contention with his reliability. It is not simply a matter of him missing games. It also comes down to sustaining his high level of play after a return to the lineup.
Past that, there's the conversation of the NBA Playoffs. Garland has not proved himself during the most important part of the season just yet. A lot of that comes down to those aforementioned ailments slowing him down. However, the Cavaliers still need to see results in the postseason regardless.
The point here is that Cleveland will certainly not be rushing into extension talks with Garland before getting some crucial answers to their biggest concerns with the shifty point guard. The long-term fit with the Cavaliers still leaves doubt. It's not enough to rush a rash decision for the franchise, but it is enough to be cautious.