When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell in 2022 and formed the backcourt duo of him and Darius Garland, everyone tried to break them up. From the narrative that small guards can’t win championships to the media reporting rumors of discontent between the two players, Garland and Mitchell were always fighting an uphill battle during their tenure.
Whenever the Cavs came up short, the calls for breaking up the duo only got louder. Even Garland’s agent, Rich Paul, openly said on his podcast with Max Kellerman that he told the All-Star point guard that this would be his last year in Cleveland.
When Cleveland traded Garland away for James Harden at this year’s trade deadline, there was yet another narrative out there that Mitchell was the driving force behind that deal. With some time removed from the blockbuster, one thing about the Garland-Mitchell relationship is clear.
The issues between Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland are overblown
Mitchell said so himself in the aftermath of the deal. He acknowledged the fact that this is a crucial year for Cleveland and now is the time to go for it, but he also called Garland his brother and said that he would be at his wedding.
"With me and him, it’s always love. We fell short of our goal. But it’s always going to be love,” Mitchell told cleveland.com.
Those questioning whether or not the two liked each other clearly have not been paying attention.
From all the postgame interview crashes on the court or in the locker room to Mitchell encouraging Garland throughout a tough Game 7 against the Orlando Magic in 2024 to their SLAM magazine joint interview just last season, any talk that the two did not like each other is overblown.
Yes, the partnership was not always perfect on the court. It had its highs in the regular season, as the duo had a +9.3 net rating last year together and a +6.1 net rating this year.
It was the playoffs where the Garland-Mitchell duo struggled and their defensive issues were magnified. Granted, Garland had not been healthy for any of Cleveland’s playoff runs, another fact that played into the acquisition of Harden.
There’s no doubt that Mitchell wants to win a championship. With another contract extension looming, he wants to win, and win now.
Whatever that looks like, he’ll be open to, as the Harden acquisition indicates. That doesn’t mean he pushed for Garland’s exit. This is someone he calls a brother and someone he loved playing with.