After dominating the 2024-25 regular season with a 64-18 record, the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a middling 15-12 start this campaign. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen have all missed multiple weeks due to injury, leaving Donovan Mitchell as the only consistent available star. As the calendar moves past Dec. 15, NBA trade rumors begin to heat up. One such rumor involves part of Cleveland’s All-Star backcourt duo.

3 Teams Show Interest in Trading for Darius Garland

According to NBA insider Jake Weinbach, three squads are looking to pounce if the Cavaliers make Garland available in trade talks. The Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, and Minnesota Timberwolves could look to upgrade their point guard position.

“Garland should receive strong interest from teams in need of lead guard duties,” mentions Weinbach.

Why would Cleveland explore moving Garland? Questions arise regarding the fit between him and Mitchell. The Cavaliers have strong rim protectors in Allen and Mobley, the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year. However, pairing two smaller guards in the backcourt has not been a recent successful recipe in the league.

Garland averages 15.5 points, the lowest mark since his 2020-21 sophomore campaign, for the season. He played 11 of the Cavaliers’ first 27 games after recovering from an offseason toe injury. The guard then aggravated the injury, forcing him to miss five games, in addition to resting one half of back-to-backs.

Garland signed a five-year, $197.2 million rookie contract extension for the 2023-24 campaign. He still has two more years until he becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season. The “big four” of Allen, Mobley, Mitchell, and Garland are owed a combined $152.2 million for the 2025-26 campaign alone. All four contracts also increase in value as they approach the end.

As a result, Cleveland finds itself over the second apron luxury tax. These restrictions make it harder for the Cavaliers to aggregate salary in a trade, and if they stay in it for multiple seasons, their 2033 first-round draft pick drops to the end. Cleveland took a risk to keep its core players together. So far, it has not paid off.

Examining Trade Destinations for Garland

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ search for a lead point guard remains a hot topic. Donte DiVincenzo’s best role comes as a lethal off-ball shooter. However, they start him next to Anthony Edwards because Mike Conley and Rob Dillingham are not the answers.

Garland’s excellent playmaking and lethal outside shot complement Minnesota’s starting lineup perfectly. His pick-and-roll patience also matches well with Rudy Gobert serving as a great lob threat.

The Orlando Magic made a big move for Desmond Bane this past summer to boost their offense and 3-point shooting. They rank 11th in offensive rating (115.7) compared to 27th (108.9) last season.

If Orlando traded for Garland, one of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, or Franz Wagner would likely be in the deal. A deal involving Cleveland’s star would represent a major shift for the franchise.

The Washington Wizards remain in a deep rebuild, but Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr show flashes of star upside. While Washington wants to escape the bottom of the Eastern Conference, it might not be at the stage to make a win-now move involving draft picks for Garland just yet.