The Cleveland Cavaliers have “rebuffed inbound trade interest” for guard Darius Garland, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer.
The San Antonio Spurs reportedly were a team that called with interest in Garland and Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard this offseason.
“The Spurs will be one team to monitor for Nembhard moving forward, sources said, after San Antonio registered trade interest in Nembhard this offseason,” Fischer wrote. “Before San Antonio brought Chris Paul to organize the Spurs’ offense around Victor Wembanyama, sources said San Antonio called various teams around the league exploring veteran guards who have still yet to enter their primes. Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was another talented ball-handler the Spurs called about, sources said, although Cleveland has rebuffed any inbound trade interest for Garland to date.”
Trade rumors have followed Garland this offseason after he had a bit of a down season in the 2023-24 campaign.
An All-Star in the 2021-22 season, Garland has seen both his points and assists per game averages drop in two straight seasons.
This past season, he averaged just 18.0 points, 2.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Cavs guard reportedly was angered by reports that would have requested a trade if Cleveland retained guard Donovan Mitchell this offseason (the Cavs signed Mitchell to a three-year extension that will keep him with the franchise for the long haul). Mitchell was already under contract for the 2024-25 season entering this offseason, but it was possible that the Cavs would’ve looked to move him had he not agreed to an extension.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently reported that there was a time where there was consideration from Garland’s camp to ask for a trade, but ultimately that request never came.
“I do think there was a time where Darius was seriously considering whether or not he should try to press the issue with a trade,” Windhorst said. “And this is all – again – buried in nuance. Did he ever ask for a trade? To my knowledge, no. Was there an indication that he might ask for a trade? Yes.
“So, he can look you square in the eye and say, ‘I love Cleveland. I want to be a Cavalier. I love Donovan Mitchell. I never asked for a trade. Let’s go Cavs, woo, woo, woo.’ And everything be true. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t on the table.”
For now, it appears the Cavs are content with running back their roster that features Garland, Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen as the core pieces. Cleveland has made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, going as far as the second round in the 2023-24 campaign.
The Spurs’ interest in Garland is certainly worth monitoring as they try to build their roster around phenom Victor Wembanyama. San Antonio brought in a veteran point guard in Paul this offseason, but it’s highly unlikely that he’s a long-term answer for the Spurs at the position due to his age.
Until the Cavs show a willingness to move Garland – a former lottery pick – their focus will be on getting the most out of their current core under new head coach Kenny Atkinson in the 2024-25 season.
