After the way the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled late this past season, there were some whispers that they would make some big roster moves this summer.
Darius Garland was the subject of some trade rumors, and according to Ashish Mathur of Hoops Wire, two teams made an attempt to pry him away from Cleveland.
“The New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs tried to trade for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland this offseason, an NBA source told Hoops Wire,” Mathur wrote.
“The Cavaliers told the Pelicans and Spurs they weren’t trading Garland, the source said.”
Apparently, Donovan Mitchell went to bat for Garland and Allen and helped keep those two in Cleveland.
“When Mitchell signed his extension with the Cavaliers, he told the front office to keep Garland and Allen, sources said,” Mathur continued. “Mitchell, one of the best players in the NBA, signed a three-year, $150 million extension with Cleveland.
“Meanwhile, Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension with the Cavaliers.”
In the 2022-23 season, Mitchell’s first with the team, it finished with the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference and made the playoffs for the first time since LeBron James’ second departure in 2018. Although it got handled in the first round by the New York Knicks, there was plenty of optimism going into this past season, especially given how young its roster was.
But despite a hot streak in January and early February, the Cavs struggled the rest of the way, winning 48 games and going down in the second round of the playoffs in five games to the Boston Celtics.
Right away, there were rumors that both Mitchell and Garland could be on the trading block. While Mitchell agreed to an extension, there have been questions about whether the Cavs should stick with Garland.
Garland’s numbers fell across the board during the 2023-24 season, and in 12 playoff games, he shot just 42.7 percent from the field.
Had he been traded to New Orleans or San Antonio, he could’ve helped either team take a significant step forward. In particular, he could’ve helped the Spurs progress while aiding Victor Wembanyama’s development by getting the 7-foot-4 phenom some more easy baskets and drawing defensive attention away from him.
Meanwhile, Allen, the team’s starting center, continues to be a force defensively and on the boards. Cleveland likes to win with defense, and this past season, it ranked seventh in defensive rating.
At least for now, Cleveland’s core is remaining largely intact. Internally, it has reportedly said, both on and off the record, that it believes its cast can get the job done.
