5 teams who should trade for Darius Garland from the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer
2. Sharing an agent matters, and LeBron James knows that
The world looked on as LeBron James made a surprise appearance at Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in Cleveland to support his former squad. Sitting at his sides were his wife Savannah James and long-time agent and fellow Akron native Rich Paul. Perhaps not-so-coincidentally, James cheered on a fellow Klutch Sports client Darius Garland from his sideline seats.
Whether it is LeBron James and Klutch or any other star player with a renowned agency behind them, players ready for trade will have a better chance to wind up with the same team another agency client is on than another. With rumored Los Angeles Lakers trade target Trae Young exiting Klutch in favor of CAA Sports, the Lakers may turn their focus to other star guards in their attempts to build another contender around James before he retires.
The chances that Cavaliers' own Dan Gilbert gladly trade an All-Star talent to help LeBron win a title outside of Cleveland again might be slim, but the Lakers' potential trade package might be the best available if Austin Reaves is included in the deal. The Lakers also possess three tradeable first-round picks this summer, all of which are considered highly valuable across the Association since they all will come after James' eventual retirement.
Both LeBron and Anthony Davis would give Garland ideal options to showcase his ability to uplift his teammates. While Garland benefits from Davis as a dominant big and lob threat, LeBron finally finds a reliable facilitator to allow him to play off-ball more and conserve his energy during the regular season.
The Lakers will be entrenched in drama at the start of free agency with D'Angelo Russell's player option, but if Russell declines, Los Angeles may let him walk away for nothing and bring Garland into the fold. Still, this deal is dead on arrival if Reaves is not included alongside Jalen Hood-Schifino and some amount of draft compensation.