Does Darius Garland want to be the leading man in an offense again? There is some speculation suggesting as much.

Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal wrote, “The intel from some NBA teams is a perception that Garland would like to run his own team again at some point, as opposed to being in a more complementary role next to [Donovan] Mitchell.”

The validity of the source here is up for interpretation, but the suggestion was that Garland would be the ‘safest option on the trade market’ for teams who want a point guard upgrade. If there is any truth to that speculation, it poses an important question for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This season has obviously fallen short of expectations in the early parts of a brutal start to the campaign. Should the Cavaliers seriously consider answering the phone if the teams around them are calling for Garland?

Cavaliers stuck in a no-win scenario with Darius Garland

For what it’s worth, Shams Charania did recently mention in an appearance on ESPN that only Mitchell and Evan Mobley are deemed to be untouchable in trade talks. That would leave the Cavaliers open for business elsewhere.

Shams: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley considered “untouchable” in trade talks.

Cavs have been getting “a ton” of calls on their players.

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) December 18, 2025

The Garland problem is layered in its explanation.

Trading Garland would feel like scapegoating him for the team’s overall problems. The Cavs point guard has struggled defensively since making his return from injury, but the team still lacks a path to a better ceiling raiser for their offense.

Cleveland proved in 2024-25 their backcourt duo had plenty of room to operate together. Garland served as more of a floor general while Mitchell focused on scoring. The results this season have not been as convincing.

Critics will turn to the defensive limitations of having Garland and Mitchell share a backcourt. Without adequately supporting the two players with the right type of complementary pieces, there is some truth in the shortcomings to be had. However, it’s not impossible to overcome.

If the core four is due for a split, there are other parts of the roster that call for a change before addressing the backcourt. Changing up the frontcourt tandem and tinkering with the formula on the wings could offer a more needed makeover for Cleveland.

At the very least, any move involving Garland should wait until the offseason. Trading away the All-Star point guard right now would hardly give the Cavaliers a proper opportunity to reset. They would only be selling low on a player who has brought a ton of success to the franchise.