Wizards, Cavaliers Swap Lead Guards in Mock Trade

Playoff disappointments typically act as the primary facilitator big offseason moves, which may aide the Washington Wizards unilaterally, with angst stemming from contenders looking to live up to expectations or star players sick of their situations.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have found themselves squarely in this unenviable situation after one of the more disappointing playoff runs we've seen from a 64-plus win team in some time, as they suffered a five-game humiliation ritual to the Indiana Pacers. Injuries met a rotation of role players who largely wilted with their backs against the wall, resulting in yet another recent run halted short of the playoffs' third round.

Darius Garland felt a good amount of fingers pointed in his direction, even if he didn't deserve as much of the blame as he received. The All-Star had to tough out a toe injury that sapped the mobility he used in getting past opponents as a high-volume scorer.

Hoops Wire looked into the matter, and proposed one trade Cleveland could look to make with the Washington Wizards in attempt to improve the scoring and spacing around lead offensive Cavalier Donovan Mitchell.

They brought up the possibility of the Cavs sending Garland to DC in exchange for Jordan Poole in a point guard swap, with the cheaper Poole also alleviating some of Cleveland's salary cap concerns with Evan Mobley looking to make more money than ever with a newly-won Defensive Player of the Year trophy now lining his mantle.

The article also mentions that a first-round pick would arrive over with Garland, granting Washington more of that draft capital they're always looking for. This would be a steep price for a player like Poole, a more aggressive shot-hunter who lacks Garland's continuity playing off of Mitchell and the other Cavaliers on top of the Cleveland guard's superior resume.

Neither lead guards are hand-in-glove fits alongside the ball-dominant Mitchell, something Wizards fans know after former Washington head coach Wes Unseld Jr. briefly tried playing Poole off the ball to begin the 2023-24 season to uninspiring results. This would be a big swing for Cleveland to take by bringing in a less well-rounded star without any experience leading a winning team, especially considering the pick they'd also be giving up.