It's becoming increasingly clear. With Donovan Mitchell clearly the franchise cornerstone for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Evan Mobley developing into a high-level defensive anchor, that makes Darius Garland the obvious "swing piece." If the Cavs fall short in the playoffs once again, he's going to be the most logical trade chip.
I think the Cavs fanbase would largely affirm that Mobley and Mitchell should be seen as untouchables. Garland, as beloved as he is, represents a combination of just enough redundancy and value for this organization to consider trading him.
The first obvious reason many would point to that would signal a reason to deal away Garland would be the fact that he and Mitchell are something of a problematic duo. There's a tremendous amount of talent between the two, but it's absolutely reasonable to question whether two smaller guards can work next to each other in the NBA today.
Perimeter defense is always going to be limited when you run with a lineup involving two players like this. If you want examples, there's plenty of them. CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard in Portland is a great one. That duo was an insane offensive engine, but their defensive woes doomed them in the playoffs every year.
Darius Garland unfortunately just makes too much sense to trade
It's true that Darius did enjoy a very solid season in 2025-26, capturing the second All-Star nomination of his career. But the team results are always going to matter more to those making decisions concerning the roster. Cleveland won 64 games but lost in the second round. At some point, postseason wins have to matter.
Garland still has three years and around $126 million remining on his current contract. That's a lot to consider taking on if you're another team, but they're also going to consider the fact that he's 25 and just beginning to enter his athletic prime. There will be teams calling with interest.
Then the question becomes this: If the Cavaliers want to trade him, what kind of player do they try to replace him with? I would say some type of bigger guard or wing who can defend multiple positions and play off of Mitchell more effectively. This would maximize the rest of the roster because all of a sudden you've got size and potentially shooting as well surrounding Mitchell and Mobley.
If Cleveland waits around too long, they could risk seeing Garland's value plateauing if he doesn't take another step up. It's totally fair to say Darius is going to be under a large amount of scrutiny this coming season for this reason.