By james art The Cleveland Cavaliers opted not to make any trades during the offseason, despite rampant speculation suggesting otherwise.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavaliers won’t make any moves before the February trade deadline.
Nathaniel Holloway of The Sporting News came up with a trade idea that would send Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Brandon Ingram and Herbert Jones.
Holloway adds that the Pelicans could include draft compensation to sweeten the pot.
“Garland would fill New Orleans’ hole at point guard with Murray off the line,” Holloway wrote. “He averaged 18.4 points and 6.7 assists in his six years in the NBA, but also dealt with injury issues as he never played in 70 or more games in a season. Mobley would give the Pelicans a true starting center who could use a change of scenery.”
But will this trade really be that fair for Cleveland? It doesn’t seem like it.
A legitimate argument can be made that the Cavs will be giving up their two best players in the deal, and Garland and Mobley are under contract for the foreseeable future.
Ingram, meanwhile, is scheduled to hit free agency next summer, and while Jones is a great defender, he doesn’t offer nearly the same ceiling as Garland or Mobley.
Plus, barring an extreme scenario, Mobley is probably untouchable for the Cavaliers at this point.
Cleveland could try to trade Garland if things don’t go according to plan, but that trade idea seems rooted more in fantasy than any reality.