Trae Young is dominating NBA headlines right now, and it’s making certain teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers look in the mirror. The Atlanta Hawks are on the verge of trading Trae, according to a new report from ESPN’s Shams Charania. However, it might not be easy for Atlanta to find a suitor. Could the Cavs encounter a similar issue if and when they consider trading Darius Garland?
Following Charania’s initial Trae reveal, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps explained why the Hawks could struggle to find a landing spot for Young that results in a helpful return.
“There simply isn't a great need for point guard play,” Bontemps wrote. “Across the league, the two deepest positions are point guards and centers, so teams trying to move either position will struggle to get back full value.”
Bontemps also pointed to Young’s colossal salary as a hindrance. Trae is making $46 million this season and has a $49 million player option for next season. In Bontemps’s eyes, a lack of demand for point guards and Young’s salary are the two reasons he hasn’t been traded yet.
A similar situation could arise if the Cavs put Garland on the market.
Hawks' Trae Young could become the Cavaliers' Darius Garland problem
The Cavaliers haven’t indicated that they are looking to move Garland, and there’s even a future that exists wherein Cleveland keeps Garland and trades Donovan Mitchell. However, if a backcourt breakup were to go down, most people assume that Garland is the clear trade chip, not Mitchell.
This Trae stuff might change the calculus on that assumption a bit. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons recently argued for a Mitchell trade on the premise that Cleveland would get way more for him than they could get for Garland, and Simmons was quickly shut down by his guest, Rob Mahoney.
Maybe Simmons’ take wasn't that crazy.
If Garland’s trade market (i.e., the demand for point guards) figures to be even weaker than supposed (based on this new intel from Bontemps), a Mitchell trade starts to make more sense. That would be if you’re a Cleveland front office intent on breaking up the two guards.
After all, if teams aren't interested in Trae, how interested would they be in Garland? DG's salary isn't quite on Young's level, but it isn't small ($39.4 million this season, and north of $40M in each of the next two).
The most likely move from the Cavs is no move at all. With the trade deadline less than a month away, it’s unlikely that Cleveland would dive into a Mitchell or Garland trade so abruptly. The Cavs are still just one season removed from a 64-win campaign in which they looked like dangerous contenders.
Also, Garland has been shaping into form recently, now that he’s been healthy for the first time in a long time. Cleveland likely believes it can regain its mojo from 2024-25, which happened with both Garland and Mitchell in the fold.