Insider Has 4-Word Message About Rumored Cavs-Magic Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to shake things up.

They can’t afford to roll into next season with the same core of players and expect different results.

And while that doesn’t mean they have to give up on them and just take scraps for them, they need to explore all their options.

Considering that, team insider Terry Pluto seemed to be excited about the rumor surrounding Darius Garland and Jalen Suggs.

In an appearance on his ‘Talking Terry’ podcast, Pluto agreed that Suggs was a much better fit for the Cavaliers than Garland:

“I do it yesterday,” Pluto said of trading Garland to Orlando for a package including Suggs and Tristan da Silva. “I love Jalen Suggs. I wanted him, I rated him over Evan Mobley in the draft. Of course I was wrong on that. But I will tell you, Jalen Suggs in the same backcourt with Donovan is a better fit. He’s tough-minded.”

One could argue that Garland is a much better scorer than Suggs, and that would be fair and true.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that he’s a better fit for what the Cavaliers need.

Donovan Mitchell isn’t a good defender, and chances are that’s never going to change.

The same can be said of Garland, and not many teams can survive with two liabilities in the backcourt.

Suggs is a pesky and physical defender who’s going to put his body on the line on every loose ball and possession, and he could help mask some of Mitchell’s many defensive miscues.

He also doesn’t need to have a lot of touches on offense, as he’s a pass-first kind of guy who would take plenty of pressure off Mitchell’s shoulders.

Suggs is more than capable of knocking down shots from beyond the arc, and the Cavs wouldn’t even need him to be a primary scoring option.

Garland, on the other hand, would give the Orlando Magic more spacing, and he might be better off being a third- or fourth-scoring option rather than being trusted to be a leader or go-to guy.