Grading a proposed Lakers-Cavs trade that pairs Darius Garland with LeBron, AD

The Los Angeles Lakers are in offseason mode and will likely have a new starting point guard when the 2024-25 season tips off. For the last 1.5 seasons, D'Angelo Russell has struggled in his starting role with his issues stemming from poor defense and inconsistent offense. Russell is likely on his way out of L.A. and heading elsewhere as he's widely expected to decline his player option.

In the opposite conference, the Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning a chaotic offseason. The Cavs fired head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and that could just be the start. The Donovan Mitchell saga is going to dominate headlines but, if Cleveland can convince him to stay, that could lead to the organization pivoting to trading point guard Darius Garland.

Both Mitchell and Garland have shown some struggles on the defensive end and, despite their talent, the duo has never been able to flourish with the Cavaliers despite their obvious offensive skills.

In these separate scenarios, it appears that both the Lakers and Cavs are trending toward making a major trade this offseason. And one insider has an idea for a move that the two franchises could make together.

Grading a Lakers-Cavs trade featuring Darius Garland, Austin Reaves

With that in mind, Bobby Marks of ESPN ($) suggested that the Lakers should make a deal with the Cavaliers for Garland if Cleveland makes him available in trade talks this offseason.

While Garland is an upgrade over D'Angelo Russell, the All-Star is still a minus on the defensive end of the floor. The Lakers might need to trade two above-average starters in Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura to get a two-way ball-handler but Garland would likely not be worth doing so for the Lakers.

L.A. would probably be a lot more suited to trade this kind of package for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray who can at least handle his own on the defensive end of the floor. While Garland would not be a good fit for now, the franchise could find a veteran who can play second fiddle to Anthony Davis after LeBron James retires.

This is something that the franchise is clearly looking for as LeBron seemingly only has one to two years left in the league. Overall, this is probably a poor trade for the Lakers in the short term and a fine trade for them in the long term.

If Mitchell re-signs in Cleveland, though, this proposed trade is likely a home run for the Cavaliers. Cleveland would end up with an above-average starter to play at the guard spot in Reaves and, at worst, a possible top sixth man in Rui Hachimura.

In the end, this is a trade that could end up happening as the Lakers are looking for a possible second banana for when LeBron James retires. On the other hand, this trade could be a hypothetical home run for the Cavaliers.

Lakers grade: C+ | Cavaliers Grade: A-