Latest news with #DariusGarland
Newsweek
6 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Cavaliers 'Open' to Trading Multiple All-Stars After Early Playoff Exit: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In a major shift from earlier intel, a new report suggests that the Cleveland Cavaliers are apparently receptive to shaking up their roster significantly during the offseason. After nabbing 2025 All-Star selections for guards Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley; finishing with a solid 64-18 regular season record; and capturing the Eastern Conference's top seed, the Cavaliers found themselves shockingly booted in a brisk, five-game second round playoff series by the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers, who are currently one game away from the NBA Finals. Chris Fedor recently revealed on the "Wine and Gold" podcast that the Cavaliers might be more amenable to moving on from two of their "core four" players this summer. With a maximum rookie-scale contract extension slated to kick in for Mobley next season, Cleveland is set to find itself in the NBA's punitive second luxury tax apron. "They prefer to keep the core four together and see if they can build around them and find the right pieces around them, and see if there's a viable way to do that, given the limitations that come with being a luxury-tax team and a second-apron team," Fedor said. "In saying that, I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley." Mobley, still just 23, took a major performative leap this past season. In addition to nabbing his inaugural All-Star appearance, the 6-foot-11 USC product was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-NBA and All-Defensive nods. Darius Garland #10 celebrates with Donovan Mitchell #45 Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers after Garland scored against the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 05, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. For... Darius Garland #10 celebrates with Donovan Mitchell #45 Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers after Garland scored against the Golden State Warriors at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 05, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. For now, the Cavaliers appear committed to retaining him for now. MoreHe's been suiting up at power forward next to Allen at center to form a jumbo-sized frontcourt, but he has thrived in his minutes as a floor-spacing five. More Cleveland Cavaliers News: Lakers Listed as Potential Landing Spot For Cavaliers All-Star "I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland than they have in the past," Fedor said. "Now, that all comes down to it's got to be the right deal." Garland, meanwhile, found a way to effectively coexist alongside Mitchell as a supplemental backcourt ball handler — during the regular season, at least. Garland struggled with a big toe injury throughout the Pacers series. He missed the series' first two games, both home losses. When he did return, Garland's efficacy was limited. The long-term fit of Garland and Mitchell, both undersized guards, remains somewhat questionable — especially on defense. More Cleveland Cavaliers News: With Donovan Mitchell Re-Signing, What's Next in Cleveland? "Nobody that you're going to get back is going to be Darius in terms of pedigree, in terms of talent," Fedor said. "He's a two-time All-Star for a reason. He's a max-contract player for a reason." The 25-year-old averaged 20.6 points on .472/.401/.878 shooting splits, 6.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while suiting up for 75 healthy contests. "He's one of the best young point guards in the Eastern Conference for a reason," Fedor added. "So are you going to get that back? No. But can you reconfigure your roster? Can you restructure your salary cap by using Darius and find multiple players?" More Cleveland Cavaliers News: Cavaliers Trade Proposal Has Darius Garland Land With Surprising Rival Cavaliers Star Donovan Mitchell Catches Massive Shade Over Playoff Failures Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert Channeling Massive Comeback With LeBron James as Fuel for Pacers Series Deficit Cavaliers Head Coach Reveals Massive Regret That May Have Led to Game 2 Loss For more Cleveland Cavaliers and general NBA news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
Forbes
29-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Which Teams Could Trade For Darius Garland Or Jarrett Allen?
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 07: Darius Garland #10 and Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers ... More look on during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Capital One Arena on February 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The 2025 offseason is expected to be a busy one, and one of the teams that could be an active player in all the mayhem is the Cleveland Cavaliers. After their best season since LeBron James left town, the Cavaliers fizzled out in the second round of the playoffs for the second time in as many years, bringing back concerns about the overlapping skillsets of their four best players. Individually, Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen are fantastic players. The four of them finished in the top 20 this season in Estimated Plus-Minus (per Dunks & Threes). Unfortunately, Garland's skillset clashes with Mitchell's, and ditto for Mobley/Allen. This leaves them vulnerable to more balanced teams like the Indiana Pacers. Plus, the Cavaliers are on track to be a second apron team in 2025-26. These conditions have reportedly made the team open to the prospect of trading Garland and Allen. But if they are actually available, which teams should pursue them? And what would those trades look like? Even if they break up their core four, a tandem of Mitchell/Mobley is still potent enough to compete for titles (particularly in an Eastern Conference that will be powered down with Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard set to miss most/all of next year). So, in potential trades involving Garland/Allen, Cleveland should be requesting players who can amplify these two (along with some draft capital). In this case, the Cavaliers should be looking for two-way wings/forwards, a backup big to offer Mobley some relief, and a secondary creator to fill some of the void left by Garland. While we won't go into every single possible deal that could take place this summer, we will go into some examples of trades featuring Garland, Allen, and one including both the All-Star caliber performers. The most obvious destination for Allen would be the Los Angeles Lakers. After trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, the Lakers are in desperate need of a pick-and-roll partner for Doncic, who can also be an enforcer in the paint. A potential trade could look something like this: Jarrett Allen Trade Idea. Rui Hachimura isn't an elite defender, but he has graded out as a positive in that area over the last three years. Meanwhile, on offense, he's a good shooter (41.3%) and finisher around the rim (66.5%). He's also still young (27) and pretty battle-tested (26 playoff games in the last three years). Overall, Hachimura is a clear starting-caliber forward in this league and a nice frontcourt fit next to Mobley. Dalton Knecht gives the Cavaliers a bigger and younger version of Sam Merrill (Knecht is an inch taller and five years younger), which will enable the team to let him walk in free agency this summer without a worry. They would also net some draft capital in this deal with the Lakers' 2026 first-round pick. As for Garland, the defensively brilliant (2nd in defensive rating) but offensively-challenged (third in offensive rating) Orlando Magic could be a prime candidate for his services. In a perfect world, the Cavaliers would get Jalen Suggs in return for Garland. But it is hard to imagine the Magic would be willing to part ways with someone so deeply embedded in their core. So, just in case they aren't willing to include him in this deal, here is an alternative idea: Darius Garland Trade Idea. Last year was a down one for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, but he's still one of the best two-way role players of the last decade (he was also quietly much better after January 1). He'd be the perfect guy to share a backcourt with Mitchell. Anthony Black didn't have the sophomore surge that his advocates had hoped for, but he's still a great perimeter defender (80th percentile DEF EPM) with plenty of time to develop (21 years old) into the secondary ball handler Cleveland will need if Garland leaves. Although, if he is the only true facilitator the Cavaliers get back in these trades, they will really need to prioritize re-signing Ty Jerome in free agency. Goga Bitadze isn't a household name, but he is one of the best cost-controlled backup bigs in the NBA right now. His game is simple, yet effective. Bitadze sets hard screens, rolls to the rim, finishes layup passes, blocks shots, and is always in the right position on defense. The analytics love him, as he's placed in at least the 93rd percentile in DEF EPM and the 81st percentile in EPM in each of the last two years. The two first round picks from Orlando will give Cleveland three overall from the two trades. Jaylon Tyson and Jett Howard are included here to make the money work. The Dallas Mavericks would be another interesting trade partner for Garland. With Kyrie Irving set to miss most of next season with a torn ACL, the Mavericks will need someone to set the table for Davis, Dereck Lively II, and Cooper Flagg. And even when Irving comes back, lineups with him and Garland will still be tenable because of how much size they boast on the front line. Plus, they have Daniel Gafford and a cavalcade of wings/forwards to include in a trade. If one team were to acquire Garland and Allen in one fell swoop, the Magic would make the most sense. They are a playoff-caliber team that is in need of an upgrade at point guard and center, and a starting five of Garland/Caldwell-Pope/Franz Wagner/Paolo Banchero/Allen would be pretty formidable in the East (they would certainly need to part ways with Suggs in this case). Along with Suggs, the Magic would need to give 2 or 3 first round picks, Black, at least one of their three centers, and some combination of salary filler/young players Cleveland can try to take a flier on. Some other teams that could be interested in one of these two studs are the Houston Rockets (Garland), Phoenix Suns (Allen), Brooklyn Nets (Garland), Boston Celtics (Allen), Sacramento Kings (Garland), Milwaukee Bucks (Allen), Chicago Bulls (Allen), Miami Heat (Garland), and Toronto Raptors (Allen). Another alternative for the Cavaliers is to just trade one of those two players. If that's the route they choose to go, their best bet would be to trade Garland. He's the better player, which makes him the better trade asset, and Allen is on the much more team-friendly deal (Garland's average annual value is 39.4 million over the next four years, and Allen's is only 20 million next year before turning into 30.2 over the following three). In any event, the Cavaliers have some huge decisions to make this offseason – the kind that could completely alter the landscape of the league – making them one of the most interesting teams to monitor over the next few months.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'His next step': Cavaliers hoping Darius Garland follows Steph Curry in strength progression
INDEPENDENCE — The Cavaliers, over the years, watched one specific career progression take Steph Curry's game to the next level. One of their biggest hopes for this offseason is that Darius Garland follows in Curry's footsteps, at least in this one way. The Cavs' second-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers will bring questions of how the front office chooses to respond this summer. If the Cavs remain similarly constructed — which essentially means whether they keep the "core four" together — their aspirations of improvement rest more with their own development. Advertisement A major part of that is Garland, who missed a major chunk of the playoff run with a sprained big toe. During the regular season, Garland earned his second All-Star nod, averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 assists while shooting a career-best 47.2% from the floor. But in the playoffs, he missed the last two games of the first-round series against the Miami Heat series and the first two games of the Pacers series. After the Cavs fell behind 0-2, Garland returned but clearly wasn't as effective while playing through the injury. Missing an All-Star is bound to hurt a team's lineup in any situation. But facing an aggressive Pacers squad that pressed the Cavs full court whenever it could, Garland's absence — in either availability or top form — was especially detrimental, as president of basketball operations Koby Altman sees it. "I do think not having Darius in the first two games rattled us," Altman said at an end-of-the-season news conference with local reporters May 19. "You want your point guard to be able to handle that pressure. Advertisement "Not having your All-Star point guard healthy was a big part of that. … I don't think they're able to pressure 94 feet every single time down if you have Darius there to navigate some of that stuff, to break the pressure, to get some open shots, some layups, some 3s to spray it out." It's part of why the Cavs' early exit from the playoffs was hard for him to accept. "Yeah, that's what makes it harder for me. It's like I'm there for the guys, but I'm not there for the guys," Garland said recently. "I'm not 100%. So that's what's making it pretty tough." Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket as Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant (3) defends during Game 5 of the second-round playoff series May 13, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio. Darius Garland's offseason plan centered around strength, health Garland has been on the wrong side of some injury luck two consecutive years when it comes to the playoffs. In addition to missing four games this year, Garland played last year shortly after losing 12 pounds, the result of surgery to correct a broken jaw and needing to eat food through a straw for weeks. It impacted him, and he spent last summer trying to put the weight back on. Advertisement The Cavs want to see the next progression with it all. "I do think there's a level that he can get to that he hasn't tapped into yet, and it's a conversation that we've had with Darius," Altman said. "His next step is going to be, how do I get stronger?" That's where Curry's path comes into the picture. Cleveland Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman fields questions about the team's disappointing second-round exit in the NBA playoffs after going 64-18 in the 2024-25 regular season during a news conference, May 19, 2025. Speaking to what they want to see from Garland this summer, particularly in coordination with Kenny Atkinson's first full offseason as coach, Altman brought up the future Hall-of-Famer who along the way put on enough muscle to stop teams from being able to push him around as much. That coincided, in part, with Curry's ascension into a star. Advertisement "[Garland] needs to get stronger so he can compete at the highest level. It's the same thing with Steph Curry, when we [used to] pick on Steph. Now Steph's all world. Not making the comparison, but Steph got so strong over the maturation of his years, he's a different physical specimen. … The same thing has to happen with Darius." Atkinson already spoke of the Cavs' hope Garland can carry himself more like a 28-year-old veteran than a 25-year-old youngster before he actually reaches that age. Their other goal calls for some extra time in the weight room. This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs All-Star Darius Garland aiming to follow Steph Curry
Forbes
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
Koby Altman Tips Cavaliers' Hand About Offseason Priority
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 14: President of basketball operations Koby Altman of the Cleveland ... More Cavaliers speaks during a press conference introducing Donovan Mitchell at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on September 14, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) Everything went right for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season. They finished atop the Eastern Conference standings with a 64-18 record. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who went 68-14, had a higher mark. Then came the playoffs. After breezing by the Miami Heat in a four-game sweep, the Cavaliers got bounced by the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the postseason. Darius Garland dealt with a sprained toe. The ailment cost him four consecutive contests. His absence stretched from their series vs. the Heat to the start of their best-of-seven against the Pacers. Garland averaged 14 points and 4.0 assists while shooting below 35 percent from the field and logging 28.3 minutes. It's a far cry from the 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 40.1 percent sniping from beyond the arc he averaged in the regular season while logging over 30 minutes per tilt. Instead, he shot 3/18 [16.7 percent] Teammates Evan Mobley and DeAndre Hunter got injured in the final frame of Cleveland's Game 1 loss to Indiana. The latter dislocated his thumb. The former turned his ankle when he landed on the foot of Pacers center Myles Turner. Overcoming those injuries and avoiding a disastrous 4-1 series defeat against an Indiana opponent that returns to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year, where the New York Knicks await, required more contributions from Ty Jerome. The Sixth Man of the Year finalist produced 11.7 points and 3.6 assists per playoff contest. He shot 40.1 percent from the field in nine postseason games. To his credit, the former Virginia Cavalier converted on 38.9 percent of the 4.0 threes he hoisted per matchup. The latter was more in line with the best regular season of Jerome's six-year career. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals. He knocked down 43.9 percent of the 3.6 threes he launched. After playing on an expiring $2.6 million contract, Jerome is scheduled for unrestricted free agency. He turns 28 in July. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, at Monday's end-of-season press conference, Cavaliers president of basketball operations, Koby Altman, conveyed the franchise would "love to keep him. We're hopeful." Altman continued, "When guys find that confidence in [Kenny Atkinson's] system, their value gets driven up. Same thing with Sam Merrill. You want to call these guys end-of-bench players before they became real rotational players and valuable within the ecosystem, not just us. The good news is those guys are going to do really well for themselves." That could lead to Jerome cashing in elsewhere. With Mobley earning Defensive Player of the Year, his salary for the upcoming campaign escalates from $38.7 million to $46.4 million. Now, his total salary will surpass $269 million. The financial ramifications of that are carrying $219 in estimated payroll next season. That means the Cavaliers project to go over the second apron. That's with 11 players under contract. They could trade someone like Isaac Okoro, who is on the books for $11 million for the 2025-26 campaign, to aid their effort to retain Jerome. However, if a team like the Orlando Magic views him as capable of sliding into a starting point guard job and elevating what their team's capable of, it will be difficult for Cleveland to find a path to keeping its sixth man.
Reuters
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Cavs president: ‘Have to get over the hump' after expectations reset
May 20 - The Cleveland Cavaliers changed head coaches and saw a 16-game improvement in their regular-season record. In the end, the result was the same as the year before: a second-round exit from the playoffs. The Cavaliers' remarkable 64-18 regular season placed them in a spotlight they last enjoyed when LeBron James played for the team, and president of basketball operations Koby Altman knows that has invited title-level expectations. Altman met with reporters Monday, six days after the top-seeded Cavaliers' Game 5 loss to the Indiana Pacers eliminated them from the Eastern Conference semifinals. "I think we can all agree that coming into the season no one predicted us to be (the) No. 1 seed. I don't think anyone had 64 wins," Altman said. "Because we were so good we re-created the expectation of Finals. I think everyone in here saw potential champions, which is a new space for us. "We re-created the expectation and now we have to live with that. I think it's a space we want to live in and take that into the playoffs next year, knowing we're going to have to change that narrative, knowing that we have get over the hump." The idiom of getting over the hump was present throughout Altman's remarks. When asked if he's confident the current roster construction can win a title, Altman pointed to the team's young foundation, with All-Stars Darius Garland (25 years old) and Evan Mobley (turning 24 in June) supporting lead guard Donovan Mitchell. "Us figuring out our offensive identity happened this year and so I'm really high on and optimistic about our future," Altman said. "That being said, it can't just be 82 games. We have to figure out this next 16, we have to figure out how to get over the hump. But this group has shown they can play some of the best basketball in the world. It's how do we do it on the highest stage and continue to keep pushing to get over that hump?" Altman signaled a desire to keep together what he called Cleveland's "Core Four" of Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and center Jarrett Allen, who combined to average 76.6 points per game in the regular season. Allen also led the NBA in field goal percentage (70.6) and paced the Cavs at 9.7 rebounds per game while playing all 82 games. Altman did say, however, that the Cavaliers wouldn't be afraid to add pieces, even if it took them into luxury-tax or second-apron territory. Cleveland was one of the favorites to win the 2025 title once new coach Kenny Atkinson guided the team to a 15-0 start to the season and additional winning streaks of 12 and 16 games later in the season. The Cavaliers swept the Miami Heat before running into trouble against Indiana, despite some massive games from Mitchell. "This is Year 3 for the Core Four and they've had incredible success, right?" Altman said. "Playoff success needs to come next, but I think there's an internal belief because of what we proved this year during the regular season and what we're capable of to run it back and see what we can do. But it's not just running it back. It's another year of Kenny. .".. There was a newness, a freshness this year. I know this is Year 3, but there's a newness, a freshness that we're going to take into next year having failed again in the playoffs and knowing how much that's going to hurt. And we're going to get over the hump. This group's going to get over the hump." --Field Level Media
