Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted To Trade Darius Garland To Miami Heat

Darius Garland has said he does not want to be traded, but that does not necessarily mean the Cleveland Cavaliers will make him untouchable.

Mar 8, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) dribbles the basketball around Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the third quarter at Miami-Dade Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have decided to hang on to Darius Garland through the early stages of the NBA offseason, but with three months to go before the start of the 2024-25 regular season, a lot can change.

Zach Harper of The Athletic listed Garland among four big-name players who could still be moved this summer, and they named the Miami Heat as the most likely destination for the former All-Star (Jarrett Allen was also mentioned as a trade candidate).

Harper's reasoning for a Garland trade is that the 6-foot-1 guard is "a bit redundant" alongside of Donovan Mitchell, who the Cavaliers just signed to a contract extension.

Speculation has swirled about Cleveland splitting up the Mitchell-Garland pairing ever since the Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs this past spring.

There was even chatter that Garland may have been preparing to seek a trade, but Garland himself has already put those rumors to rest.

Of course, just because Garland wants to stay with the Cavaliers doesn't necessarily mean that Cleveland will 100 percent retain him.

As a matter of fact, it's entirely possible that the reason why the Cavs have not more aggressively tried to move Garland is because his trade value is evidently very low at the moment.

If the Cavaliers are able to find a deal where they can extract good value out of a team in return for Garland, they may very well pull the trigger.

It's pretty clear that Cleveland's current roster—while unquestionably talented—is not ready for championship contention, and the only way to significantly altering the roster may be making a big move such as trading Garland.

Harper suggests that the Cavs would be looking for a stretch big, a three-and-D wing and multiple first-round draft picks in exchange for Garland. You would have to think that the Cavaliers would ask for Jaime Jaquez Jr. from the Heat in a potential trade.