By james art It’s a rare moment when the trade needs of two NBA teams align with each other, but the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are in such a situation.
Cleveland wants to break up its redundant backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, preferably by trading Garland, the lesser of the two (but an All-Star in his own right).
The Cavaliers could also use a power wing to serve as a bridge between Mitchell and Cleveland’s big twin towers, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
It’s been widely reported that the Lakers are looking for a guard to offload LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and Garland would be a great fit.
Los Angeles could send Rui Hachimura to fill Cleveland’s need at the wing, plus D’Angelo Russell to serve as Garland’s temporary backup before his expiring contract becomes a cap hit for the Cavaliers next summer.
The Lakers will just have to throw in one more minimum contract to make the money work (Christian Wood), and if Cleveland isn’t happy with getting two NBA starters in exchange for Garland, maybe Los Angeles can throw some draft capital as a sweetener .
It’s a deal that makes too much sense not to happen, especially given a new report (via Zack Buckley of Bleacher Report) that Cleveland and Garland are headed for an inevitable split.
“There was enough trade talk surrounding Garland this offseason that he felt compelled to address it directly at the Cavaliers’ media day,” Buckley said Thursday.
“Although he said rumors of a potential desire to leave if Donovan Mitchell signs an extension are ‘definitely false,’ the trade speculation seems unlikely to stop.”
“There are some awkward cuts with this combo in the backcourt. Garland and Mitchell are undersized for their positions, best with the ball in their hands and, to be fair, not super reliable defensively.”
“The last time Garland ran an offense without having to share the controls (2021-22), he booked his only All-Star appearance and practically set career highs (including 21.7 points, 8.6 assists and 2.6 triples) .”
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