Cleveland Cavaliers Urged To Revisit Trade Talks With Spurs

The Cleveland Cavaliers are being urged to revisit trade talks with the San Antonio Spurs.

Jan 14, 2022; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket while defended by San Antonio Spurs forward Keldon Johnson (3) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Over the summer, the San Antonio Spurs expressed interest in trading for Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, but nothing materialized.

The Cavaliers have seemed pretty intent on holding on to Garland, if nothing else because his trade value has not exactly been sky high this offseason.

But could Cleveland decide to change its mind and move Garland during the 2024-25 NBA season?

Tyler Watts of King James Gospel has listed seven potential players the Cavs could target in the event that they reverse course on Garland, and one of them was Spurs wing Keldon Johnson.

Two years ago, Johnson appeared to be on the verge of breaking out, as he averaged 22 points and five rebounds over 32.7 minutes per game. However, last season, his role diminished, as he registered just 15.7 points across 29.5 minutes a night.

The 24-year-old could be expendable for San Antonio, and if the Spurs decide to try for Garland again, Johnson could be a central figure in trade discussions.

There is an issue with Johnson, however: he isn't a great defender. As a matter of fact, one may even consider him below average in that department.

Given that one of the Cavaliers' biggest needs is a long, rangy player who can defend some of the bigger wings in the Eastern Conference, the 6-foot-5 Johnson may not be the best fit.

Of course, Johnson's potential as a scorer is intriguing, but he isn't very efficient (lifetime true-shooting percentage of 56.5 percent), and the fact that he appears to be falling out of favor in San Antonio isn't exactly a great sign.

Perhaps a change of scenery would do the University of Kentucky product some good, but if Cleveland is going to trade Garland, it will probably want a better centerpiece than Johnson in return.