REPORT: Cavaliers are willing to entertain trade offers for Darius Garland & Jarrett Allen

REPORT: Cavaliers are willing to entertain trade offers for Darius Garland & Jarrett Allen

No, no, no, that’s not my point. My point is, Steve, you want to take 361. No, no, no, no, I’m not trying to vindicate the Cavs. I point that out because we got an article from Chris Fedor yesterday. Steve, whenever you’re ready at 61, put this out, quote, I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more. Willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jared Allen and Darius Scullar than they have in the past. The Thunder last year, after being the one seed in the West, getting upset by a 4 seed, similar to what happened with Cleveland this year, made the giddy for Caruso swap, not a major trade, but Giddy was a lottery pick. He was part of their core. They shipped them off for a guy with a little less talent, a better fit, and a different mentality. Now we have talked at length bowl at how the Cavs probably need to shake something up whether it’ll happen or not will be remains to be seen. But with Chris F Fiedor putting out that at least he’s hearing that the Cavs may be more open to making one of those trades, I wanted to draw the parallel between what happened with OKC. Them trading a piece of the core off now reaching the NBA finals where they’re the presumed favorites against either Indiana or New York and how the Cavs now have to pivot and find their version of the Josh Giddy for Alex Caruso trade. I was just showing you the comparison of the thing or one year can change a big perception of a team. — So you
— so you’re insinuating that they trade Darius for Jalen. No. Uh, what about that trade? There was somebody that sent us a, uh, uh, a tweet from somebody that covers the Timberwolves who suggested Darius Garland for Jayden McDaniel’s in the 17th pick in the draft. I like, I like McDaniels a lot to do. Would you make that trade? I would, I would. Now you, you need to get a playmaker in another move. I would 100% make that trade. Darius Garland has to be off the roster. I’m telling you right now, Mike, it will be a detriment to my job if Darius Garland’s on this team, if Jared Allen’s on the team, I’m not watching a single game in the regular season, not watching the game. I’m boycotting. I like McDaniel. — I said
— that last year, but he, he’s true. No, what he said what he said was if the Cavs make no changes, he was not watching, and that’s what I said. And then they Was honestly, I wasn’t watching it and then they won 15 in a row and I was like, oh, OK, this is fun. But even if they win 15 in a row again next year, I’m gonna know it doesn’t matter, so I’m not gonna watch. I have to make. I cannot see him ever again. — I’m gonna vomit all over myself if
— that happens. I like that’s a little I don’t know. — That’s
— how I feel. It’s not for me. My issue with it is my issue with the Darius Garland is. I don’t know what he is in the playoffs. Who? Darius. — Like I don’t know what he
— is. I know he’s hurt. — I don’t want
— him anymore. That’s the problem. What do you mean you don’t know what he is? Like I need to see him at 100. He doesn’t answer the bell. That’s what he is. — But
— I need to, but I feel like he like in the Miami, was he not good before I I that. Miami Heat is not a legitimate playoff team. Well, he was injured in the other one, — so
— I don’t, no, he wasn’t. He played. He was on the court. He should have been on the court. He shouldn’t have missed two games in a row. You clearly see. Let’s go. His former NBA, I, I, I think we now all have the right to rip the players for not playing because Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye and who else? And Perk, uh, you know, Perk’s a little wackadoodle, but the other two are normal human beings and they ripped him for not ripped all of them for not playing. So if former players are gonna rip them, I think we have every right to do so because of that. I just, uh. I just can’t. How many years are we gonna wait for Darius to be healthy in the playoffs? I was, I, I was very surprised. Darius did not play in game two. I was shocked. I said that at the time. I remember you texting Mike and I saying he’s gonna play game two. I was shocked that he should. He dropped. What did he have in game 3? — 24 and 6 or something like that
— definitely could have played in game two. I mean, — that’s the exact
— numbers but like that’s what Jay McDaniels on the other hand, raised his game in the postseason this year, did he not? He had better numbers in the postseason than he did in the regular season, I believe. In the postseason, he averaged 14 points and 5 rebounds in the regular season he averaged. 13 points and 5 rebounds. He raised his game a little bit. He, uh, he’s excellent defender, is he not? Very good defender. He’s a, he’s not a creator. That so the one downside if you make that move ball, he fixes one issue. But you lose a significant portion of your shot creation. — I think it has to be a move in conjuncture with
— the you, you got to trade Jared Allen. Uh, for a playmaker, — for you need to get another legitimate
— who’s the Lakers, who you, who could you trade Jared Allen for the Lakers to combine that with the Jayden McDaniel deal? If if they give you Austin Reeves, would they do that? — I don’t know how much they love Austin
— Reeves. What if you traded him, uh, Jared Allen, the 17th pick. It depends on how much they love Austin. — 17th
— pick, — I don’t think
— is no, no. I mean, literally. I mean, it’s got three team trade. Cavs get McDaniels and Reeves. Lakers get Jared Allen in the 17th pick and the Cavs 20-31 pick. And then the T Wolves get Darius Garland. What do you, what do you think of that? I think my head hurts. — I’m trying to figure out if that was
— not that complicated. Let’s get it together. — They did that
— make you better? Like I don’t know the answer to that. I don’t know won’t get AR and Reeves and and uh McDaniels. So your line will be Austin Reeves, Derek Donovan, Jay McDaniels, Evan. And the hunter. OK, I, I, I can’t get behind this because I don’t, I’ve never been a proponent of breaking up the backcourt. It’s Jarrett that has to go as far as I’m concerned if, if, if one has to go, if you’re adamant that you gotta break this up and somebody has to go, to me it’s Jared, it’s not the backcourt. And I know they’re small, and by the way, I’ve had NBA people tell me you’re nuts. No, they should break up the backcourt because of how small they are and, and this was back even before they lost saying like they’re really gonna struggle with Boston. Boston, they’re gonna have a hard time guarding Boston in the series because of how small they are in the backcourt. But I just, I, I, I don’t think it’s an issue of Darius and, and Donovan being able to play together and, and Darius size. Darius health. Darius did again, I was, I was shocked. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t play in game two, but I’m not going to because I’m shocked and disappointed in playing game two. I don’t wanna swing all the way the other way and say, well, now he’s got to go, now you gotta trade him because he is a very good player. So bull, you only can get rid of one. I would get rid of Jared Allen if I had only get rid of one, but I’d rather get rid of both. I just think it’s easier. but that’s like really breaking. The Cavs need to, the Cavs also need to make a move to lengthen their playable players. They have, they don’t have, the Cavs can’t win as is because they don’t have enough. Look at Indiana and Oklahoma City. How many playoff caliber players those teams have. The Cavs don’t have that number. We overrated their bench. I don’t know what Ty Jerome, we, you and I were talking about this yesterday off the air. Ty Jerome was the story of the year for the Cavs. Nobody gives a rat’s ass what Ty Jerome does in the regular season next year. You got to bring him back. You explained to me it’s a good point. You gotta bring him back because you need to bring him back. You can’t, you can’t sign somebody else instead of him. So of course they’re gonna bring him back because he cost himself free agent money probably the way he played in that last series. But no matter how good Ty Jerome is, are we gonna trust him in going into the playoffs next year? Well, let me, let me ask this and once again, I’m not saying this definitively. I’m, I’m just drawing parallels. Last year in the playoffs, Jaylen Williams was terrible for the Thunder. It’s been very good this year for them. Aaron Wiggins was horrific in the playoffs for them, has been very good. Cason Wallace shot 19% from the floor in the playoffs, been one of their best playoff players this year. Chet Holmgren’s numbers were down. What year? Mike, what year in the playoffs for those guys? — Last
— year? No, like in their career, — how many
— times in the playoffs for those guys? I could tell you Shay, it’s just I click at the same time. That was Gil just Alexander’s 3rd playoff experience. That was Jaylen Williams, uh, Lou Dort actually first. It’s easy to sort it this way. It was Lou Dort’s. 2nd playoff run. It was Jaylen Williams’ 3rd playoff run. Chet Holmgren’s 2nd playoff run. Aaron Wiggins. Changed postseason. — It was his 2nd
— playoff. OK, so here’s where you’re driving me crazy with this comparison to Oklahoma City. You’re talking about outside of Shay Gil Alexander and one other guy, and Shay Gildris Alexander did not struggle in the playoffs last year, did he? Uh, his numbers in the playoffs last year were 3565. Last year it was 37-6. OK. You’re comparing the two. There’s no comparison. This is for most of those guys, their second trip to the playoffs and for some, including their best player, third for the Cavs, how many years has Donovan Mitchell been to the playoffs? How many years has Jared Allen been to the playoffs? That was the start. Are you counting the play? Yes. Why if you then add one more to each of the. If you don’t count the play, so that you are giving them credit for losing in that. So give the Thunder one more guys, guys. OK, — so they’re all 4 and 3 and
— the Cavs are 4 and 3. No, they’re not. They’re all 4. Every player on the Cavs is 4 except for Mobley. Darius and Evan are on the same. They’re, they’re the same. They’re, if you’re gonna count the plane, — it was playing Knicks
— was this year 4 for all? OK, so those guys have all been in the playoffs 4 years. If you want to count the plane, yes, of course you count the counting for the Thunder too. So the, the Thunder have some players that, including the play and a lot of those players you mentioned, it’s only their 3rd year. Everybody on the Cavs is 4th year and in that 3rd year for Oklahoma City. And 4th year for a couple of the guys, they moved on to the finals. So that means Cavs guys in year 4 for all of them except for the best player who’s done it for more than that. — They didn’t move on
— in that progresses at the same rate and therefore, if you don’t do it by year 3, then it’s not what I’m saying what you’re saying. — That
— is what you’re good. Can I explain what I’m saying, — because you didn’t see
— you compared the two as if, well, it’s all set for next year for them to progress forward. That’s not what I said. OK, well, you’re accusing me of saying something that I didn’t say, so I guess I could do the same to you. Yes, it could happen next year, but it’s comparing them to the Thunder is not apples to apples because the Thunder have progressed quicker than the Cavs have. Is that fair to say? By like one season because they were right around the, no, listen, because they were right around the plane at the same time. I’m trying to do this off memory. They were both like playing teams around the same time. They were both on similar tracks. It’s. To your point, Donovan’s been in the playoffs multiple, multiple times. I, and I wrote this. We’ve talked about this. I think we know the ceiling of a Donovan Mitchell-led team. I wholeheartedly agree with that. It’s a second round. How much more evidence do you need? We don’t need anymore. That doesn’t mean that he really never made it to the 3rd round, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be a terrific player on a team that goes to the finals and wins a championship. He just can’t be the #1, agreed, but the point is the Thunder have done it essentially in their 3rd run. For for Shay, it’s his 4th run, but he was never the problem anyway, and Donovan is way more experienced than Shay does, and they’ve done it for a lot of those guys in their 3rd run for Shay and one other guy, it’s their 4th run, whereas the Cavs on their 4th run with Donovan. 6th run, they did not get past the point. I’m not saying they can’t at some point. I’m just saying it’s already taking them longer than the Thunder if they do it at all. I just disagree with that. I just think, OK, I just think that we’re on the same page from the, from the standpoint when you look at other teams like it’s, it’s. A lot of the the Cavs are doing two things that they say you’re not supposed to do, not supposed to play well, Evan Mo, what they, alright, take that back because Evan can shoot now. But before that they had two bigs that couldn’t shoot and then they had 2 undersized guards. Yeah, so they fixed one because Evan can shoot. The undersized thing, I mean, you can’t take away the the what Darius does from an offensive standpoint like he, he outside of Donovan, he’s like the only person that I actually have faith can go get his own bucket. Yeah, but he can’t but I mean I can here’s my issue I guess with Darius because you’ve now created a hole that you now have to go back and backfill because we just said. OK, well, if you trade a creator, now you gotta go get a creator. Well, number one, that’s not as easy to do as. is we’re trying to make it seem. If you move Jarrett, you’re not creating a hole. You can move Jarrett to me feels like the, the move that you can make that feels like the, the Josh Giddy, Alex Caruso type piece that I’m, I, I don’t know what you get back. But what you’re removing isn’t detrimental. You’re not then now scrambling to backfill that piece you took. Does that make sense? Yeah, I get it. So I get it. I the same with Boston with the Marcus Smart and Porzingas and then the other move that they made, bringing in Drew Holliday. There was nothing that they, they didn’t create a hole that they had to then scramble to backfill by doing that. And so from Cleveland’s perspective, that’s why I just think. I, I don’t know that, I don’t know that Jared is the piece that is really gonna help you deliver a championship. I just looked with everything that happened last year with the ribs, with everything that happened this year, with the way it gets pushed around with just I just don’t love it. I just don’t see it. Yeah, the, the problem too is every other team’s got to see it that way too. No. He’s a very good player. Yeah, he’s a very good player, — but
— doesn’t every team look at him as like soft? And so why did somebody give a trade for him? — I
— mean, it depends on the team. If, if you put them around a bunch of dogs, it’s not as. There are a few teams I think would overpay for Darius Garland. Minnesota Jared Allen I’m talking about. I’m saying. So there’s teams that would overpay for them and then trade them. I get what you’re saying. Yes, there is a losing Jared Allen is to me is no big deal for the Cavs, you know, it hurts them defensively. It definitely hurts them defensively. I don’t think it’s insurmountable. There’s more to make up for by trading Darius Garland than it like Jared Allen, if you made a trade just to give you some self some flexibility, different chemistry, draft picks, whatever, like that could make whereas Darius Garland, you got to get another really good player in return. I wanted to ask you this real quick. When you go back and you remember the Indiana, what would you say was the biggest outside of — toughness like an actual on court
— capacity couldn’t shoot. Right? They couldn’t defense. Was their defense as bad as you remember? Was the offense historically bad? — I would say
— both, but it was I would say the offense being not being able to shoot at all would, would to me be the biggest. I agree. We go back two years ago when they played the Knicks in the playoffs. We kept feeling like, oh my God, they can’t score, they can’t score. They’ve got over 100 points one time. I believe the number and and I hope I’m right on this in the 11 games in those two years that they played under Bickerstaf, they scored over 100 3 times. Defense there’s not up to par. I’m not, I’m I don’t wanna give them a pass, but their offense. Has been what’s been their Achilles heel, the last 3 playoff runs. I understand the thought process and moving on from Darius and for the right deal, like I am all open to doing it. But you have to be able to get guys back that can create offense because I don’t think Donovan. Can handle that load for a 4 in a row like we saw Indiana and Evan has to be the other part of that. Well, that’s it. If Evan doesn’t, you guys have been saying for a long time they can’t win till Evan’s their best player and you’re right. I think we’ve seen that. All right, we’ve seen that they can’t win with Donovan Mitchell is their best player to this point there’s enough evidence. If Evan Mobley doesn’t. — Become that
— player and it doesn’t matter what else they’re never gonna win. It doesn’t matter what else you do because you’re not gonna be able to trade for I don’t wanna hear the honest stuff. You’re not gonna be able to trade for a player of that caliber that becomes the number one, it’s Evan or it doesn’t happen, right, Evan, if Evan as he currently is, is a very good NBA player, right? He second team. NBA, but he’s not a superstar. Not yet. No. If he doesn’t become a superstar, they’ll never win a championship. Is that fair to say? — Or most
— likely? I, I agree. And the other thing, and we’ll move on because I want one guardian topic again. If you look at OKC, if you look at Indiana, if you look at the Knicks and squint the right way. In the playoffs, the teams that have had success the last 34 years in particular, and I know basketball’s changed. They have 3 guys who can generate a shot at any given time, 3 guys that can create for themselves. Indiana has Halliburton, Siakam, and Nemhart and Neismith, though they take turns being that guy. OKC obviously with SGA, Jaylen Williams, Chet Holmgren, the Celtics last year. The teams that can’t win at the highest levels are the teams that have one or two guys because the defense can focus so heavily on those two and force everyone else to make it. The Cavs had Donovan Evan has to become that guy. Darius, in theory, and I put theory for a very specific reason, is that third guy. He hasn’t been healthy enough. He hasn’t lived up to that, hasn’t played well enough to have become and solidified his spot. If you make any deals this summer, you have to make sure you enter next season with a third guy who can be a when all hell breaks loose, can you get us a bucket in a playoff situation? Don’t you think those teams also have a lot more players that are versatile? I can do more things like I think Cavs are actually pretty versatile. They are, yeah, I think so. Maybe not as versatile as OKC, but I mean I think more versatile than most, yeah. When you say versatile, what do you mean? Guys like, how many guys do the Cavs have that, that are really good both offensively and defensively that can shoot and get to the ball, get the ball to the basket? — Say it
— again. That’s good offensively and defensively and can shoot and get to the basket. Well, are you, — or do you count Donovan and Darius as
— Darius and Donovan Darius and Donovan are not great defensive players, but the front court makes up for it, which is why I say losing Jarrett is detrimental to them. But I think DeAndre was a big addition to what they can do because of the length that he provides. He can shoot, uh, he can, he, I wouldn’t put him in the creator category, but he can help on the offensive end. So I, I just think that they can do a bunch of different things well, um, and you can put a bunch of different lineups out there. Um, I still think that they are. If they’re healthy, I think they beat the Pacers and I think they beat the Knicks. Now part of the issue is you have to learn how to play when you’re not healthy and that’s where I think they struggle. I don’t think it’s an issue of, I don’t think it’s an issue of fit. I don’t think it’s an issue of they’re not versatile enough. I think it’s an issue of right here of being able to fight through when you aren’t 100%. But, but, but Jason, the Pacers have 8 players that are really contributing. The Cavs don’t. The Pacers are playing incredibly well right now. Let’s come back a year from now and see if you still feel the same way. — 2 years in a
— row, the Pacers have gone further than the Cavs. They went to the conference finals. What if the Pacers win the finals? — What
— if they win the finals. — Congratulations
— to them. Would it change how you felt about the 2 — years because
— I don’t think they’re getting past OK. I’m just saying that’d be 2 years. So yeah, I would, I would be really impressed by them, OK, because I mean — I don’t think they’re not
— getting the Pacers are about to win their 3rd. Series of their uh in 2 years and when they were an underdog. They were in the playing championship for whatever that’s worth. They were in the playing championship last year. They went to the conference finals last year. And meanwhile, the Cavs have not won a single series where they were under an underdog. I hear you, but I still believe. If they’re healthy, they beat the Pacers. — I wholeheartedly believe
— that. Listen, I’m not gonna argue. You know more basketball than I do, so I’m not gonna argue about that. But the issue is I don’t believe that anymore. The issue is, yeah, they’re mental tough. Like I agree with Kobe on that is he wouldn’t come out and say it, but I think that’s toughness that I interpret that is you gotta go even when you’re not right, even when you. Don’t feel well. Like, I thought Perk had a great, I know you think he’s nuts, but I thought he had a great answer on you don’t, can I say, can I cut, I don’t, he said you don’t want, you can’t shit, shave or bathe until you win another game. Like it, it is that obsessive with the and I don’t think that they, I don’t think Darius and Evan. Have that mentality, but getting, speaking of shit getting shit on this whole offseason might help get them there. If this doesn’t get them there, nothing will because they’re going to just get torched this entire offseason. They’re gonna hear their name in trade rumors and everything else. Well, Jared is what he is. I think like Jared is what he is. Why is Evan get the because he missed the game with the ankle. No, — probably step up his game in
— the play. Evan needs to be. — I thought he
— played solid. He didn’t play solid in games. — You
— can’t play solid. You expect all NBA. You got to step up your game. Evan needs to become the best player on the team, but I guess I’m more talking about Jarrett and Darius, yeah, um. And, and like, you know, and Donovan too, but I mean, Donovan, I, I think Donovan, I’ve talked about before. I think Donovan’s obsessed with winning. I think he’s the only guy on this roster that is totally consumed and obsessed with winning and now those other guys have to get there. — Allen’s
— obsessed with playing 82 this offseason doesn’t get them there. Yeah, right, right, we got one last guardian topic to get to and.

The Cleveland Cavaliers face a painful salary cap reality that might force them to trade All-Star point guard Darius Garland.

In a revealing episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, hosts Chris Fedor and Ethan Sands explored why the Cavs might need to make dramatic roster changes despite their regular season success.

As Fedor explained on the podcast, “I just think the Cavs are at a point, where they’ve got some hard decisions to make because of the realities of the salary cap and the realities of the second apron. There are three potential second apron teams in the NBA. It’s Boston, it’s Phoenix, and it’s Cleveland.”

This financial constraint is pushing the Cavaliers toward a crossroads that could fundamentally reshape their roster.

https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2025/05/clevelands-championship-conundrum-why-the-cavs-must-consider-trading-all-star-point-guard-darius-garland.html

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