Darius Garland reflects on the Cavaliers' dramatic postseason collapse: “It was tough, especially seeing how we was playing early on in the year” - RAW CHILI

During this past season’s February trade deadline, the Cleveland Cavaliers authored perhaps the biggest trade of the year, bringing in former league MVP and 11-time All-Star James Harden from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for two-time All-Star Darius Garland and a future second-round draft pick.

When it happened, the trade was questioned and even protested by many Cavaliers fans. After spending his first six-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland, Garland became well-loved by fans and was definitely a big part of the Cavaliers’ resurgence post-LeBron James.

On paper, it looked like the Cavaliers were trading away their 26-year-old homegrown star for an aging, past-his-prime 36-year-old who’s notorious for his postseason struggles.

It didn’t take long for Harden to win at least some of the Cavaliers fans over, however. “The Beard”, who had been playing well for the Clippers all season long, continued his solid play with his new team, helping the Cavs to a 52-30 record and a fourth-seed finish.

In Harden’s 26 regular-season games with Cleveland, the team went 19-7 and the one-time MVP averaged 20.5 points. 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.

Harden also helped the Cavaliers reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2018, as he had some big games in the first two rounds of the playoffs against the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons.

It was in the Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, however, that things began to fall apart for Harden and the Cavaliers.

In Game 1, the Cavaliers squandered a 22-point lead with just seven minutes left in regulation, and it was Harden who was getting targeted by Jalen Brunson and the Knicks’ offense. The Cavaliers went on to lose in overtime, which ultimately set the tone for the Knicks’ sweep of the series.

The Cavaliers’ collapse drew criticism from fans, analysts and even players, including Garland.

Garland didn’t hold back

On an episode of the Ball In The Family podcast hosted by another former Cavalier in Lonzo Ball, Garland shared his thoughts on his former team.

“The playoffs are over with for them,” Garland said. “It was low-key tough to watch. I didn’t watch a lot, but when I did tune in, it was kinda tough, especially seeing how we was playing early on in the year, seeing such a total 180, something totally different on the court.”

The Cavaliers were 31-21 before trading for Harden, but at one point were just 17-15, a disastrous way to follow up their 64-18 record the previous season.

Garland, who played just 26 games for the Cavaliers this season due to injury, was sidelined in mid-January and would not return to the court until around February, this time with the Clippers. The Cavaliers would go on to post a 29-11 record after Garland went down with an injury.

Why the trade happened

Perhaps one of the biggest reasons the Cavaliers did the Harden-for-Garland trade had to do with availability.

Garland may be a decade younger, but the last few seasons have shown he’s quite injury-prone, especially compared to someone like Harden, who has played in 70-plus games in each of the past three seasons.

And while the Conference Finals were indeed a catastrophe for the Cavs, their being there in the first place helps validate the Harden trade. Looking ahead, Garland will be a key piece for the Clippers, who have emphasized getting younger. The biggest question, however, is Garland’s health.

For the Cavaliers, Harden will likely be part of the team at least for next season. If they can build off of their success this season, maybe he does end up retiring a Cavalier.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Darius Garland reflects on the Cavaliers’ dramatic postseason collapse: “It was tough, especially seeing how we was playing early on in the year”