NBA Insider Floats Blockbuster Trade Idea for Cavaliers

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 28, 2025 9:48 PM ET

It appeared that the Cleveland Cavaliers would compete for the championship this year for the first time in the second post-LeBron James era.

The Cavaliers won 64 games in the regular season. They were the No. 1 seed in the East and swept the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

However, Cleveland was humbled in the conference semifinals, losing to the Indiana Pacers in five games. The Cavaliers lost Games 1, 2, 4 and 5, with Games 1, 2 and 5 taking place at home.

Some believe Cleveland general manager Koby Altman needs to make a trade or two this offseason to improve the roster around All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

With that said, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com proposed that the Cavaliers trade Darius Garland to the Orlando Magic for Jalen Suggs and Tristan Da Silva.

"I understand that Jalen Suggs is not as good of a player as Darius. I understand that Jalen Suggs is not as naturally gifted or talented as Darius, but he brings a lot of stuff that this team would benefit from,” Fedor said.

“He can handle. He can distribute, he can guard his butt off, he can shoot from the perimeter, he can drive, and he gives you more size, more toughness, more tenacity.”

Garland has spent his entire career with the Cavaliers. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The two-time All-Star averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists this season and 18.0 points and 5.2 assists in the postseason.

Garland missed four games in the postseason due to a left big toe injury, taking major heat from fans and players for his absence.

Garland will make $39.4 million next season, Suggs will make $35 million and Da Silva will make $3.8 million.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: