New Frontrunner Leapfrogs Lakers For Darius Garland Trade With Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season ended with a whimper this past week as the team was bounced from the NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

Not only did the Cavs fail to put up much of a fight in the series, but most of their star players for one reason or another were unable to participate in the final Games of their season.

Big changes are coming in Cleveland this summer.

One of the players who everyone expects to see get moved is Darius Garland.

At one point the 24-year-old was viewed as a potential future face of the franchise, but he has since fallen out of favor.

According to The Athletic, if Donovan Mitchell opts to return to Cleveland, Garland will likely be on his way out.

“Rival executives believe the Cavs will have to seriously evaluate the fit of Mitchell and Garland and ultimately may have to choose one or the other,” the report noted.

“Should Mitchell decide to stay long term, sources briefed on the matter say Garland’s representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, would have a conversation with Cavs officials on potentially finding a new home for the one-time All-Star.”

Olivia Dunne Suffers Another Accidental Wardrobe Malfunction https://t.co/uHKTqPOO6T

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Fresh off two straight years of averaging 21 points per Game, Garland really struggled last year. He wound up averaging just 18 points and 6.5 assists per outing in 2023-24 – a noticeable departure from his prior stats.

At one point, the Los Angeles Lakers were viewed as frontrunners to acquire Garland if he were to get moved. This week that changed.

“Bovada lists Garland as +325 to play for the Spurs next season and +600 to play for the Lakers. Garland is listed at -125 to play for his current team next season,” ClutchPoints noted.

The next few weeks promise to be interesting. Where will Garland ultimately be playing come the start of next season? Time will tell.

Related: 2 Teams Have Already Prepared Trade Offers To Cavs For Donovan Mitchell

Carlos Garcia

A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.