After falling short in the 2025 NBA playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers could look to make some changes this summer. Kenny Atkinson’s team likely needs some fresh faces to help propel them to the next level.
In a June 5 article for Bleacher Report, Andy Bailey suggested a trade that would send Darius Garland to the Orlando Magic. In return, Cleveland would land a borderline elite perimeter defender to help anchor the backcourt while unleashing Donovan Mitchell‘s offensive upside.
The proposed trade looks like this:
Cavaliers Get: Jalen Suggs, Jett Howard and a top-five protected first-round draft pick in 2027.
Magic Get: Darius Garland
“Giving Cleveland a much more defensive-minded guard to play alongside Mitchell in Suggs,” Bailey wrote. “Swapping him in for Garland would almost certainly slow the offense a bit, but the tradeoff might be worth it for a more viable playoff defense. As for Orlando’s side of the deal. Well, you get the picture by now. The Magic look primed to make a move for a point guard. And if Garland is available, they at least have to inquire.”
Cleveland ended the 2024-25 season with the eighth-ranked defense in the NBA. Adding Suggs could potentially propel the Cavaliers into the top five for defensive rating, giving Atkinson’s roster more balance on both sides of the floor.
Cavaliers Should Consider Making Changes
In a recent episode of the “Wine and Gold Talk” podcast, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed the logic in Cleveland exploring their trade options.
“There’s a real possibility that you could convince yourself that you could become a better basketball team without Jarrett Allen,” Fedor said. “There’s a real possibility that you could convince yourself, based on the offers that you’re getting or the packages that you believe are available to you, that you could become a better basketball team without Darius. That’s not overreacting.”
Jarrett Allen and Garland both received criticism for their postseason performances. Therefore, both players could be discussed in trade talks over the summer. Still, Cleveland is unlikely to make any snap decisions. Any potential trade would have to unequivocally improve the roster in one way or another.
Garland Needs to Hit The Weight Room
In his end-of-season news conference, Koby Altman admitted that Garland must add more strength if he wants to compete at the highest level.
“He (Garland) needs to get stronger so he can compete at the highest level,” Altman said. “It’s the same thing that [happened] with Stephen Curry. … Now, Steph is all-world. I’m not making that comparison. But Steph got stronger … over his years. He’s a different physical specimen than he was when he first started playing.”
Garland’s fit next to Mitchell has been in question for multiple seasons. As such, he is a logical trade candidate for Cleveland, assuming the return makes sense for the roster. Suggs would plug a clear gap, while also giving Mitchell more prominence within the offense. The deal would also solve the Magic’s need for a point guard.
On paper, Bailey’s proposed trade makes sense. Whether Cleveland and Orlando would agree is open for debate. Still, this is one of the more logical trade proposals to come out since the Cavaliers season came to an abrupt end.
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