The Los Angeles Lakers have made zero splashy moves this offseason, but the franchise notorious for adding big-name talent has the assets to lay in wait and pounce when the time is right.
One of Lakers’ prime potential trade partners entering the summer was the Cleveland Cavaliers because of the apparent conflict of style in the backcourt between superstar Donovan Mitchell and regular star Darius Garland. Mitchell could have forced the Cavs’ hand into trading him but decided instead to sign a contract extension.
That left Garland lonely on the trade block, or at least that was the general idea among most national NBA insiders. However, Cleveland hired a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson who wants to keep the team’s talented core of players together, at least for now, and see if he can make the chemistry work.
Jake Fisher of Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday, July 24, that the Cavs have turned away all suitors interested in Garland — doing so in the context of the San Antonio Spurs‘ decision to sign Chris Paul after getting nowhere in trade talks with Cleveland for Garland.
“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,” Fisher wrote.
Circumstances could easily change, however, if events play out similarly in Northeast Ohio as they did last year, when the team was actually better with Garland out of the lineup and more off-ball talent surrounding Mitchell in various player groupings.
That Garland is playing on a five-year deal worth $197.2 million and will cost the Cavs nearly $37 million against the salary cap next year could speed the process along if the new coaching staff decides it can build a better, more well-rounded roster.
Darius Garland Better Without Donovan Mitchell in Lineup, Cavs Better With Mitchell During Garland’s Absence
Getty Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland has committed entirely to Mitchell, paying him $150.3 million on a new three-year contract. The team also recently guaranteed 23-year-old big man Evan Mobley at least $224.2 million on a new five-year deal, cementing his place as a pillar of the franchise.
As such, salary cap concerns will unquestionably become an issue for the Cavaliers in the near future, which alone will put pressure on Cleveland to cultivate a younger and cheaper roster. Even still, fit is the more likely factor to create change in the backcourt, as both Mitchell and Garland need the basketball in their hands to maximize their talents as players.
Garland’s usage rate has dropped in each of the past two seasons since Mitchell joined the squad, and his traditional counting statistics have dipped as well from 21.7 points and 8.6 assists during his sole All-Star campaign in 2021-22 to 18.0 points and 6.5 assists last year, per Basketball Reference. The Cavaliers were also 17-8 without Garland during the 2023-24 campaign and 31-26 across his 57 starts on the season.
Darius Garland Can Ease Offensive Burden Lakers Have Placed on LeBron James
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers have asked LeBron James to shoulder a tremendous amount of the offensive burden over the last several years, which could become unsustainable as he enters his age-40 season coming off of a run through the Summer Olympics in Paris.
James has played north of 35 minutes per game in each of the past two campaigns and has posted usage rates of 33.3% and 29.2%, respectively. For context, James’ usage percentage ranked 18th league-wide last year, despite the fact that he was the NBA’s oldest player.
Garland can ease that burden by taking over point guard duties on a regular basis, which James assumes despite his listed position as a forward, and help the Lakers play more potent offense via his career 18.4 points per game average and 38.4% 3-point percentage on 5.8 attempts per contest.
Los Angeles has two unprotected first-round picks (2029, 2031) it can trade and the nearly $19 million expiring contract of D’Angelo Russell, which can help make the money work.
The Cavs are looking to win now, so the Lakers may need to include a player who can actually help them do that along with the two first-round picks, which Cleveland can hold as insurance against their top players departing at some point over the next five years or use in a second trade for a star who fits more naturally alongside Mitchell.
Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported on July 16 that L.A. has assumed a wait-and-see position after coming up short earlier in the offseason.
“The Lakers’ inactivity has not been due to a lack of trying,” Buha wrote. “Now, according to league and team sources, the Lakers are expected to remain patient in their quest to improve their roster.”
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Lakers Could Revisit Trade Pitch for $37 Million Point Guard Ahead of Deadline