Darius Garland Trades Barbs With Former Cavaliers Forward

Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland has traded jabs with a former teammate.

Matthew Schmidt | Feb 16, 2025

Feb 7, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) handles the ball during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

In this story:

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a rather significant move at the trade deadline, acquiring DeAndre Hunter in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

As part of the exchange, the Cavaliers sent Caris LeVert and Georges Niang to the Hawks, cutting ties with a couple of key members of the rotation.

During a recent appearance on Run It Back, Garland spoke on the departure of his teammates and went on to say that Niang was still a member of the group chat, but that it would "change" soon.

Well, Niang begs to differ, stating that he already left the chat upon his own volition.

Nah tell the truth I left on my own hahahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣 love you broski!! Enjoy all star and your break! mi brudda!! https://t.co/bhRTBKoHem
— Georges Niang (@GeorgesNiang20) February 13, 2025

Definitely a couple of playful jabs there on the part of Garland and Niang, but Niang's response in particular certainly had some bite to it.

Still, Garland and Niang are obviously still friends. They just won't be sharing intel via text, which absolutely makes sense.

Niang signed with Cleveland during the summer of 2023 and went on to play in all 82 games during his debut campaign with the club, averaging 9.4 points and 3.4 rebounds over 22.3 minutes a night on 44.9/37.6/85.0 shooting splits.

The 31-year-old had an equally large role with the Cavs this season, having registered 8.7 points and 3.7 boards across 20.6 minutes per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the floor and 40 percent from three-point range.

However, the Cavaliers viewed the upside that Hunter brought to the table as more valuable than the collective contributions of LeVert and Niang, who will certainly be missed.

Read More Cleveland Cavaliers Coverage