This Western Conference Team Tried Trading For Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland, Per Report

The San Antonio Spurs reportedly called the Cleveland Cavaliers about a possible Darius Garland trade.

Feb 3, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) passes the ball around San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports / Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

One of the biggest storylines early in the offseason was whether or not the Cleveland Cavaliers would move on their franchise point guard, Darius Garland.

There were reports immediately after the Wine and Gold were eliminated from the playoffs that Garland would request a trade if Donovan Mitchell signed a long-term extension. 

Well, Mitchell signed that extension, and DG did not request a trade. In fact, he told Cleveland.com, “I don’t want to be traded. Those are just rumors.”

However, it does appear that Garland’s name was being thrown around in potential trades earlier this summer. 

The San Antonio Spurs were among the teams that called about a possible DG trade. However, the Cavaliers said they were not interested in trading him, per Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports.

“Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was another talented ball-handler the Spurs called about, sources said, although Cleveland has rebuffed any inbound trade interest for Garland to date,” wrote Fischer.

Feb 13, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham (22) defends Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the second half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Spurs were clearly searching for a playmaking point guard to pair with reigning Rookie of the Year Victory Wembanyama. It’s unclear exactly when San Antonio called the Cavaliers about Garland, but they did end up signing Chris Paul to a one-year deal at the beginning of July after the Golden State Warriors released him. 

With that signing, it wouldn’t make sense for the Spurs to be still very interested in trading for the Cavaliers point guard. Plus, Garland appears adamant that he is happy with his situation in Cleveland, making it more likely that he’ll be in the Cavaliers' starting lineup next season.