Darius Garland Trade Rumors: Who’s the best player the Cavaliers could REALISTICALLY get for DG?

Darius Garland Trade Rumors: Who’s the best player the Cavaliers could REALISTICALLY get for DG?

— It’s interesting you mentioned DGG
— because that is — exactly where we were going
— with this topic. Bovada put out some odds if the Cavs are to trade Dari Scarlett this summer. I just wanted to get your quick reaction. On the teams favored to land Darius before I pivot to a target that has not been mentioned enough yet when it comes to potential Darius Garland trades. But according to Bovada, the five teams with the best odds to land Darius if the Cavs were to move on from their all-star point guard are the Magic plus. 170. The Celtics plus 275. The Timberwolves at 450, the Lakers at plus 500, and the Spurs at plus 700. I have no idea how Bova comes up with these odds, but I did want to just give you guys a chance to react to it very quickly because they seem way off to me. I, I know, I, I, I thought the same thing. I mean. At the Celtics, I was one I’m like, wait, who, who is that who’s involved in that? Well, Bobby Marks and I think that I’m not, yeah, so let me just say this. I ain’t the biggest Darrius Garland fan, right, in terms of championship caliber stuff, right? He’s a very good player, he’s an all-star, right? But I’m not about to get fleeced though. You’re not gonna fleece me though. You know, I’m like Drew Holiday and what else? Drew and what else? I listen, how does Darius Garland? He’s 25, stop playing with me. You’re gonna have to come with something else with that. I am, I am not about to trade Darius Garland to somebody else so they can win. — Why am I trading you
— to the Celtics, you’re trying to get over. Why? They, they, — they put them in a little
— system they gave, they gave Boston Kyrie back in the day. Yeah, they did, they did, uh, but when that happened. I think that everybody knew that that was it. You didn’t they? What, what, like at that point, what, what are you? I hated that trade. I did too. Everybody did didn’t make sense then. I’m like, bro, you was just battling makes even less sense today. And, and I likes, and, and, but here’s the thing. I mean, do you really wanna like Ben Carroll and they and Wagner and then you gonna give him Garland, they can’t score, but now they can yeah, Orlando guard. I, I, I think. You there there’s a couple different ways to look at this, and I do think you have to, you’re not gonna give them away, and I don’t think you should trade them at all, frankly. I, I don’t think you break up the backcourt, but I do think if you’re when you’re talking about Cavs trades and you’re talking about what makes sense, what doesn’t, I think you have to look at this under the premise of it’s a two year window. That’s it. So would you, and, and I, I’m not advocating, I am not advocating trading Darius for a 35 year old Drew Holliday. I’m not. Yeah, but I do think you have to look at this as You can’t be afraid to take on age because age may be what this roster needs. They need some veteran. We just got done talking about LeBron didn’t wanna play with kids and all the veterans that they brought in, so I do think that there’s merit to that, and I think you have to look at this under the lens of you have 2 years before this roster is going to look dramatically different anyway. So operate under that. I, I don’t see any world where you keep this roster intact, this nucleus intact for some 567 year magical run. It’s, it’s not gonna happen under the NBA rules. So operate under the lens of, OK, you have 2 years to win a championship anyway. So I still don’t know if a trade is out there that makes a ton of sense, but I do think it’s important to have that context to it. OK, so let me give you this. I mean So when you say the roster looks dramatically different, I wanna drill down on that. So in 2 years, who you telling me is gone? Potentially everyone but Evan. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait, what do you mean? Well, so what, what’s Don Donovan has said potentially and I, I, what you mean? Well, he said potentially everyone and we’re talking 2 years from now, right? So not next season. And not the next season, but the season after. In today’s NBA, that’s a decade. Yes, that’s a decade. And Mike’s not wrong. I think potentially it could be everyone but Evan Mobley. I just, I, I hear a lot of people saying, well, I’m not gonna trade a 25 year old for a 35 year old. I know that and I’m like, OK, I hear you, but I do think that you need to look at this under the context of you have 2 years to win because of the 2nd apron. They will not be a second apron team, I don’t think 3 years in a row. So for that reason, I, I guess it’s 4 years in a row. They won’t be a second Aron team 4 years in a row. So for that reason they’re gonna Donovan’s new contract begins what I think 3 years. How many more years is he under? So he has 2 years this season and next season, then he has a player and then he’s an unrestricted free agent. — So
— you operate under the assumption he’s going to decline the player to get back into free agency. That’s why he set up his last contract, the way that he did. — He’ll be
— 31. He’d be 31 entering that season, which means he has a chance for one more mega contract. And you don’t want to know where that starting salary is for him at that point. $65 million. Darius Garland’s contract. They’re all they’re all on the same line, I, I believe. So what’s Darius have? Darius has he signed the 5 year $200 million extension. He has 3 years left. 3 left. So his, his contract ends the same year Donovan’s does if Donovan accepts the player. Donovan’s a player option and Darius is locked in. Uh, Evan, you’ve got full control of his his max doesn’t kick in until next season. Uh, Jarrett just signed the extension. He’s got one more year at 20 million, then he’s got what? 2 years or 3 years after that, you know, we, we talk about we throw these numbers around all the time. But we really rarely do we actually stop and think about that number. Oh no, I just and that’s one year. And, and then we say, man, these guys are soft. Well, imagine G. If you had enough money to buy anything you wanted, anything. You want a private jet, you can, you can do that. You want a helicopter, you can do that. And It’s almost a miracle that some of these guys stay top tier hungry because they have everything. I had that conversation. I was doing something on Kareem for the athletic on uh top 75 and I was talking to Pat Riley and I we were talking about LeBron and I said I don’t think anyone will ever break his record. Points scoring, I think this will last forever because there is so much money that these guys make now there is no incentive. To stick around this long, um, to the amount of years that you would have to take, — it’s for personal
— accolades, by the way, the meter is still rolling. — He’s still adding
— to this, playing it at an all-star clip still. So he’s gonna, he’s gonna put distance between it’d be like if today the best pitcher in baseball retires with 400 wins. Yeah, good luck catching him. put it like this at the top of the food chain, I watched, you know, I watch a lot of Kobe videos. And a lot of Kobe videos, he talks about that like the chase and, and the chase doesn’t necessarily have to do with anybody on the outside, it’s the chase on the inside. Anybody that’s really great at what they do. Yeah, they wanna be the best. They, if you stop, like Joe Thomas said, if you stop today, there’s nothing left. And usually, and I’m, I’ll give people insight out there, even when you make a certain amount of money, like It don’t even got to be millions. There’s a certain level of money you get to, where within reason. You don’t have to worry about how you pay your rent. What car you drive, gas in the car. Retirement, you don’t think about any of that, right? And then at that point, life really starts because Dennis is like, now you can enjoy it or now you can think, well, was I just racing to get to this point? Now what does it mean? Because now when you wake up, you’re not waking up because I have to do it. I’m waking up because I want to or I get to, or I get to, and those are the, those are the, the, the real things you start to look around and say. Oh wow. But for most, the difference is there’s no real physical demand on that job. Like the guy that’s laying pavement probably doesn’t have a couple million laying around. Now, now the guy that does probably used this and not this, and this gets tired. And when it does, if you’ve got 100 million if, if you’re a Garland level player. I certainly hope his personal worth is at least $50 million at least. Well, you know, a lot of people think they hear those numbers and they’re like, oh man, he must have $100 million. Well, it’s, you know, tax gets half, agent gets a 10%, so it goes fast, but, and it is tough to accumulate it to get to to that. Point, but my, my point there is at some point this gets tired and this does not. So if you can use this, I’ve got a friend I played ball with. He’s 70, he’s a lawyer, he won’t stop. He still works as a lawyer and I ask him all the time why? And he goes, because I can. It doesn’t hurt anything for me to do it. Doesn’t hurt my body? I’m exercising my mind and I, — I thoroughly enjoy my
— job. My father-in-law was a surgeon. He operated until 70. That’s amazing. He loved it. He loved it. He’s like, why, why would I quit? — I love
— it. Yeah, but, but for these guys, like we’ll sit here and say they’re soft. Well, at the end of the day, they, when they turn off the ultimate Cleveland sports show, you know what Jared Allen hears. Nothing. His bank account getting bigger every single day. That’s what he hears. He doesn’t hear us saying, oh bro, he’s got to take the shot. He’s got to play harder in the playoffs. So he’s like, yeah, I’m good. To some people they just. Have God-given ability and to some people they have God-given ability and they figure this is the only way I’m gonna get it. And for some of those people it’s very rare to find that percentage of them that will go to the nth degree and the money does not — matter or it’s just hard to find because
— LeBron’s had enough forever, but he keeps going. Woody Hayes famously said you win with people. And I, and, uh, now look, it was easy. He had 110 scholarships back then. He didn’t get just the best running back in Ohio. He got the 5 best running backs and it kept them from going to any other school, which is why football was a, you know, 18 race back then. But he’s right. His premise is right, you win with people. This is how I would draft if I were a general manager, and obviously talent has something to do with it. My biggest tiebreaker is how bad you wanna win. Are you willing to punch me in the face to beat me? Because I’m probably gonna think about punching you in the face if it means that’s what I have to do to beat you. And, and I want guys that above everything else, yeah, I want gym rats. Yeah, I want, you know, this, I want that. I want durability. I want all those things, but it to me the tiebreaker is how badly do you want to win. And I see one guy on this Cavs roster that I think wants to win more than he wants to do anything else. And outside of that, I don’t know what it looks like. That goes back to what we’re talking about at the NFL. With, with scouting and with finding guys, you don’t know the answer to that until it’s too late, until he’s in the building. What you got McNuggets, I guess, but there’s, you can do, you can do your due diligence on it. You can, you, the college coaches that were with them for a period of time, they’re gonna know, they’re gonna tell you if this guy does all the little things to be great. He wants to win. He wants to win as badly as anyone I’ve ever seen. I used to say that about my son. I, Corey was a gifted athlete, but was he the best long jumper in the United States of America on God’s gifts? No, no, he was among the best, but what, what made him elite? This that kid just wanted to win more than he wanted his next breath and I want guys like that. Give me guys like that and we’re gonna be OK. So to get this back to kind of where we started it and to push it forward later in the week, we’re gonna do a giant Darius Garland trade options segment. — We’ll do a Jared Allen players not
— teams. Specific players, I sent like 25 trades off to my guy. He’s gonna run through them, make sure they’re cap compliant. So if they’re not, we can take them out because I don’t wanna put out trades that don’t actually work. — So we’ll do that later
— rights does it all the time. — I know I know but we
— we we try to do better than Bill. But when I saw these odds yesterday for Darius Garland and Steve gonna take these again, I was like. The team that stands out as the most logical potential fit wasn’t on there. And then another report came out from Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo that said, everyone on the Pelicans. Is not considered untouchable. And if that’s the case, if you’re gonna take that report at face value that New Orleans is open to moving any parts of their roster, there’s one guy to me that stands out and we’ve seen a lot of bad Darius Garland trades thrown around on the interweb, some trades that don’t make sense for financial reasons, some trades that don’t make sense for basketball reasons to Jason’s point, to kind of what you was saying, you’re not just gonna give Darius away for the sake of giving Darius away. He’s clearly a valuable asset, but there’s one guy I’ve found that if he is actually available. I think would probably be the best player you get back in return for a Darius Scarlett. And gee, I’m not sure you’re super familiar with him. He’s a little of an unknown guy, but have you ever heard of Trey Murphy? If anyone’s unfamiliar with Trey Murphy, just watch 30 seconds of these highlights here. 68. 220 pounds. Scored 21.5 points per game last year on 37% shooting from beyond the arc, uh, 46% from the floor. Comes from a Virginia background, just signed an incredibly team-friendly deal for the next 4 years. And I think he is the best player that Cleveland can turn into a real, that’s a, that is a creator. It’s not a perfect fit. — I understand it’s I’m
— not familiar with, but I love I. — Why
— is he like that? Well, I don’t know that he’s on the block, — but he’s not
— off the block, right? Exactly. — According to Kevin I’m
— not giving this guy, I’m not giving this I I’m not trading that guy. If I’m on New Orleans, he’s an untouchable to me. But you’re not, he’s not if they are looking to completely rebuild down to the studs, he’s probably their most valuable asset. When you said a Virginia, did he play at Virginia? He did. Let’s just reassemble the whole Virginia team that worked at college. He actually was DeAndre Hunter’s replacement at Virginia. Oh, OK, so they weren’t there together. No, they weren’t there. Look, I don’t, I’m not gonna lie. I, I, I, I’m completely unaware. He was a lottery pick. He’s 24 years old. Uh, he’s the 16th overall pick. He’s gotten better every year. He’s been in the league went from averaging 5 points to 12 points to 14 to 21.5 this year. — And
— your backcourt finally gets some size to it. — Jason
— Lloyd, listen. get on the phone right now. This is happening. This is clickba. I don’t like this. Why, why would you show me this stuff on TV and — get me all excited because who else do they
— need? Who else can we give them? He got wiggle. What the heck it’d be a one for one. Garland makes too much because I got a lot. Real Garland that I would throw in to make the deal pretty and they can have that too. They’d have to give you a little more salary — back to make it even bullying
— people dump it — backwards
— but it would give Cleveland a level of athleticism they currently have on the wing at 68. He’s a guy, and I think he’s a guy. Last thing on him, then I’ll let you guys go. His highlights are crazy. He’s doing this on a team that had no offensive identity. — I think he could be even better in an
— actual season’s pulling up from 5 ft behind the arch. — He
— got a Bates range. Stop it. Oh, stop it. You say, — I’ve had a deal with Baker and
— Amani on the — same has the range of Bates thinks he’s
— verifiable. Hey, if Jay is making rules we’re not talking about Brown’s quarterbacks. — I’m not talking about Amani
— Bates. That’s the, that’s the new rule. I’ll co-sign that rule. I will. No, listen, um, here’s the issue. That is clickbait because now Mike’s gonna get us all excited about this guy and there’s no way they’re trading him. Well, by the way, last thing, Jason, and you say it’s clickbait, if you go back to last offseason, when I said who’s my dream target for the Cavs, it was that guy. And then heike Mike needs to be a damn general manager is what Mike needs to be. — Why are you messing around
— with the first round pick. So it’s not like he came out of nowhere, — but
— the Pelicans just fired David Griffin. Great. There are, you could count, I, I saw this debate earlier. There you could count up to 13 teams in the West that are trying to win next year. You know, one of the two that aren’t those guys. So why would they trade him? How does Darius Garland make them better? He clearly makes the Cavs better, but I don’t see how Darius makes them better. Last year, I think, you know, the Pelicans were trying to be in a little bit more of a win now mode or at least trying to with Zion and and with Griff there and everything else. I think they’re looking at a full blown rebuild now, and I don’t know. I mean, listen, I. Yeah, — he’d he’d be
— a great. How’s his defense, Mike. He was a very good defender when he wasn’t asked to be as much of an offensive creator. — His
— defense because he wouldn’t need to be that offensive creator here. No, he’s capable of being a really good defender. He’s capable. OK, that, that’s, I would want to know that he seems rangy. I, I don’t know why New Orleans would make that deal. I don’t know how they get better. New Orleans, that’s, that’s why G’s right, it’s clickbait because you’re gonna get us all excited. Look at that. You would. You would want to get in return a bounty of picks and young players for him because he’s only 24 and we really can’t do that, right? No, they have no picks. They have no picks. They’re they’re next. Look at this. You know what Mike did? Mike put a piece of cake in front of a fat kid and pulled it right back from him. They said everybody on the roster is not considered untouchable. Yeah, — but that doesn’t mean the
— you know. So every other team’s gonna want this guy too. I didn’t say it’s likely gonna happen. — I said I think he’s the best realistic candidate that would be on the
— market. — that cake in front of a
— fact. I mean, the only way, I think the only way to even have some sort of realistic conversation about that would it would have to be a deal in another team. Yeah, I guess you could do that because I, — I don’t know
— how you can you even do a 3 team on the 2nd apron team? — I don’t even know the answer to
— that. Oh wow, I, I hadn’t heard that you couldn’t. I it’s a great idea and I don’t know the answer. I can text the guy. — I got there
— I’ll — do my
— best. We’re gonna, we gonna do this and what if I feel like, I feel like if you with the 2nd April, you might wanna get in um before the credit report gets you. Oh, you buy the boat. 00, before, before y’all go go finalize the house, I gotta get some furniture too. — Let me go get y’all up now throw in
— another 50 for that because when this, when it, when this hit this, this, — this credit score with this FICO
— score, — we’re gonna be 28%
— interest. Well, you never see. Well, that’s what the 2nd apron is, right?

Let’s keep it a buck—if the Cleveland Cavaliers are truly exploring Darius Garland trades, the biggest question becomes: who can you realistically get back that elevates this team? One of the most logical fits that keeps coming up is Jalen Suggs from Orlando. He’s not a star yet, but he brings toughness, defense, and size at the guard spot. That’s something this Cavs backcourt has desperately lacked. If you’re building around Donovan Mitchell, you need someone who can guard the other team’s best perimeter guy and still play off the ball. Suggs fits that mold. But is that enough of a return for an All-Star like DG?

Now if we’re dreaming a little bigger—but still in the realm of realistic—you’d love to see if a player like Jaylen Brown could shake loose. That’s a game-changer. He gives you a legit two-way wing with size, physicality, and playoff pedigree. But a deal like that likely costs more than just DG. You’re talking about potentially including picks or other pieces, and that makes it way more complicated. Still, if the Cavs are serious about taking the next step, it might take a bold move to reset the foundation around Donovan and Mobley.

Bottom line: if the Cavs are going to move Garland, it can’t just be for fit—it has to be about upgrading the identity of this team. The soft label ain’t going away until you bring in dogs who defend, who get grimy, and who show up when the lights are bright. Whether it’s Suggs, a three-team deal, or someone we haven’t even mentioned yet—Koby Altman has to thread the needle. Because if you get this wrong, you’re wasting the Donovan Mitchell window… and it might slam shut faster than we think.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Epicor
From small businesses with big dreams to growing enterprises with global vision, we’ll equip you with the right tools to move forward, think ahead, and lead the way. Discover your success at www.easierwithepicor.com.
Living For We
New episodes drop every other Tuesday, starting February 11th. Listen to Living For We wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the video version on Ideastream’s YouTube channel. Learn more at ideastream.com/podcast/living-for-we.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k
Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.
Monarch Money
Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.
Buckeye State Credit Union is a LOCAL brand that offers a wide range of products from checking accounts to home equity lines of credit & auto loans. Head to Buckeyecu.org for more information.
Menu RX: “Whether you’re chasing peak performance, building your dream body, or seeking optimal longevity, Menu-Rx will help you reach your goals. Go to Menu-RX dot com to get your consultation today.”
Buckeye State Credit Union
Experience the difference with Buckeye State Credit Union. We make banking effortless and convenient for you. Visit us online at buckeyecu.org and discover how Buckeye State Credit Union simplifies your financial journey. Buckeye State Credit Union – Your Money, Simplified.

Subscribe and ring the bell for the latest talk about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes: https://bit.ly/ucss_subscribe

Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ultclesports

Watch live on YouTube 11 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays on YouTube and WKYC+ on your Roku and Fire TV apps!

The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show is your daily source of the best conversation about the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Guardians, Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State Buckeyes, as well as sports throughout Northeast Ohio. Produced by Mike Lucas, Anthony Antonelli, and Earl Mauldin. Hosted by Jay Crawford, Adam the Bull, G Bush, Jason Lloyd, and Tyvis Powell.