Brian Windhorst Gets Honest on Cavaliers, Darius Garland Trade Rumors

With the latest announcement of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland undergoing toe surgery to take him out of action for a reported five to six months, it effectively adds an interesting layer to any potential trade conversations that may center around the two-time All-Star guard later this summer.

Following the Cavs' playoff elimination and before his announced injury, there had been a bit of lingering chatter as to what the near future could hold for Garland and the chances he could get shipped out to another team after six years, if the right offer came their way.

But, when asking NBA insider Brian Windhorst, those hopes of a Garland trade may be all but dead in the water.

During a recent interview with ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst dove into the logistics of a potential move revolving around the Cavaliers, where one point was made clear: Garland will "obviously" not be getting traded.

"Obviously, Darius Garland is not getting traded," Windhorst said. "The nuance is that the Cavs are going to pick up the phone, because once July 1st hits, and they go into the second apron, they are completely shut down from making a lot of moves. So, there's a nuance between, 'We are taking phone calls,' and 'We are looking to make trades."

"If anything, the fact that Garland's injury was so severe that he needs this significant, really, kind of a serious surgery– that is just an indication of how limited he was in that series. So, if anything, if you're the Cavs, you're saying, 'It stinks that we had to go through this playoffs with one of our All-Stars wounded, and let's maybe try to see what happens when one of our All-Stars are not wounded."