Darius Garland was the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers until they traded for Donovan Mitchell in 2023. Pairing two ball dominant guards that are 6-foot-3 or less raised questions but have had the third-best record in the NBA since they teamed up.
The regular success never translated to the playoffs. In 2023, they were upset by the New York Knicks in round one, in 2024 they were expected to lose to the Boston Celtics in round two, but not before the Orlando Magic took them to seven games prior to Boston. This year being the worst, after having an Eastern Conference best, 64-18 record, they lost in five games to the Indiana Pacers.
Failing to make the conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals, puts Cleveland in a strangle hold financially for next year. Under the new CBA rules, the second apron threshold is expected to be at $207.8 million, with the Cavaliers close to $218 million under contract.
To stay under the threshold, they will have to trade one of their star players, and with injuries and lack of playoff performance for Darius Garland, he's the obvious choice. This gives an Eastern Conference foe, a chance to acquire a point guard they've needed for the last few seasons.
An Orlando Magic trade package for Darius Garland
Orlando would likely offer Cleveland a package consisting of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, and two first round picks for Garland. Caldwell-Pope was their "big" offseason acquisition last year, which has not panned out, and Anthony is one of four guards that need to be moved.
Cleveland would be adding two important role players. In Caldwell-Pope, they'd be getting a great 3-point shooter. He was most successful as a fifth option in Denver, and in Cleveland he wouldn't be expected to have as big a role as he had this season.
Cole Anthony makes this deal much sweeter for Cleveland. Along with trading away their All-Star point guard, they are likely to lose Sixth Man of the Year candidate Ty Jerome. Jerome made $2.7 million last year and will get a great offer this offseason, increasing the difficulty for Cleveland to retain him. Anthony replaces some that Jerome and Garland brought to the table.
Garland is the icing that Orlando has been looking for. They have been a top three defensive team the last two seasons, while being a bottom tier offensive team. Their inability to create for others and shoot have held them back from being a contender.
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have held the playmaking responsibilities. Even though they are above average playmakers for their size, they are not good enough to uplift the offense, resulting in Orlando to be last in assists per game. Garland has averaged over seven assists and shot 39 percent from 3 the last four seasons.
The fit in Orlando makes too much sense for Garland. He gets to be the primary ball handler, and his defensive liabilities are protected having one of the best perimeter defenders in Jalen Suggs next to him. For Banchero and Wagner, they can focus on being scorers, with Garland setting them up for easy baskets.
Banchero is on his way to becoming a superstar and making the Magic contenders. Garland will make that dream more feasible.