There may be one scenario in which the Cleveland Cavaliers would be open to trading Darius Garland.
It's been a near-perfect offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They managed to sign Donovan Mitchell to a long-term contract extension and then inked Evan Mobley to a max extension as well. In short, the Cavs locked up their core foundational cornerstones of the franchise. The one player who may not be viewed as a cornerstone but is almost equally as important to the team's revelance in the Eastern Conference is Darius Garland.
And despite the rumors that have been circulating since even before the start of the offseason about the possibility of the Cavs trading him, Cleveland has been consistent in their approach to the summer with Garland. In fact, according to a recent report, there's only one rumored way in which the Cavs would even think about trading Garland - and that's if they are completely "blown away" by an offer.
Quite frankly, that's not even all that surprising. Most teams could probably say that about most of their No. 2 or 3 options on the team. At least for now, I believe this means that the Cavs are highly unlikely to trade Garland before the start of the season.
Could the Cleveland Cavaliers change their stance on Darius Garland?
Of course, once the season begins, anything can happen. And if the Cavs do get off to a slow start or continue to have an awkward dynamic between Mitchell and Garland, perhaps this is something that will be arise as a potential option. However, for now, the Cavs are making the right decision in not aggressively pursuing a trade of Garland.
Considering his youth and talent, Garland isn't the type of player that a team trades just for the sake of doing so. The Cavs have to exhaust all their resources in attempting to make this backcourt work. Garland has the potential to be an All-Star in the NBA; he's that talented. If the Cavs can find the right balance to make a Garland-Mitchell backcourt work, they could be sitting one of the best guard duos in the NBA.
But now that Mitchell has committed long-term to the Cavs, Cleveland will at least have options. That said, there's no question that their No. 1 priority should be to try and keep this core together. If it doesn't work, perhaps they can have a conversation at that point. But that shouldn't be taking place right now.