After running through the NBA this season and finishing with 64 wins and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers were sent packing by the Indiana Pacers in the second round. While the season shouldn’t be considered an overall failure, losing to the Pacers in five games isn’t a good look either. Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com talked about the Cavs potentially moving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen to avoid the NBA’s second apron.
“I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley,” Fedor said during an episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. “I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland than they have in the past.”
The Cavs might be open to making the trades they wouldn't last summer
If this is the case, the Cavs front office will be receiving plenty of calls over the next month as we approach the NBA Draft then free agency in early July. They even go as far as to mention trading Garland for a player like Jalen Suggs in Orlando.
“I understand that Jalen Suggs is not as good of a player as Darius. I understand that Jalen Suggs is not as naturally gifted or talented as Darius, but he brings a lot of stuff that this team would benefit from,” Fedor explained. “He can handle. He can distribute, he can guard his butt off, he can shoot from the perimeter, he can drive, and he gives you more size, more toughness, more tenacity.”
While Suggs may not be the scorer Garland is right now, he’s a couple of years younger and would add some size to Cleveland’s backcourt at 6-foot-5. Plus, Suggs is a pretty good defender who has already been voted second-team All-Defense just four years into his career. So, there could be some upside to a potential swap of these guards. Either way, it sounds like Cavs fans might be in for a busy summer.