The Cleveland Cavaliers need to toughen up.
Team executive Koby Altman claimed that they needed to add more grit and mental toughness to their roster.
That, plus his perennial struggles in the postseason, led some analysts to propose a potential Darius Garland trade.
More specifically, they pointed at the Orlando Magic as a potential trade suitor, as both teams could help each other out by swapping their point guards.
Unfortunately for those who wanted the Cavs to land Jalen Suggs, it seems like that’s not on the table.
According to a report by NBA insider Jake Fischer, not only have the Cavs and Magic not had any trade talks regarding Garland, but the Cavs have no interest in helping a potential postseason rival get better:
“For all the noise these days around Darius Garland in Cleveland, we’ve been reliably told that the Cavaliers and Magic have not held substantive conversations on a Garland deal … and that Cleveland has little interest in helping Orlando improve its standing in the Eastern Conference,” wrote Fischer.
That makes sense from a competitive standpoint, but swapping Garland with Suggs was also the ultimate win-win scenario.
Suggs is a tough and gritty defender who doesn’t need to have the ball in his hands to be efficient.
He’s a pass-first guard who’s going to get everybody involved, and he’s only going to knock down an occasional three-pointer when needed.
He’s also a strong rebounder for his position.
Garland, on the other hand, would help the Magic with their spacing problems.
He would gladly step back from Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner instead of being required to be one of their go-to guys, like it happens in Cleveland.
Still, it seems like if any of those players gets traded, it won’t be for one another.
NEXT: Key Rotational Player Named Cavs' 'No. 1 Offseason Priority'
