Brian Windhorst Shuts Down Darius Garland Trade Rumors

The Cleveland Cavaliers looked poised for a deep postseason run this year.

Instead, they won just one game in the second round and failed to keep up with the Indiana Pacers.

As much credit as the Pacers deserved for the way they played, the Cavs could’ve and should’ve been more competitive at the very least.

That’s why the fans have urged the front office to finally pull the plug on this core, and with Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley being untouchable, move on from Darius Garland and/or Jarrett Allen.

Nevertheless, as much sense as that would make, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst doesn’t see that happening, at least not with Garland.

Talking on ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst shut down the narrative of Garland being available for a trade, as the Cavs might feel like he struggled in the playoffs because of injuries:

“Obviously, Darius Garland is not getting traded. Here’s the thing, this is the nuance, the nuance is that the Cavs are going to pick up the phone because once July 1st hits and they go into the second apron, they are completely shut down from making a lot of moves. There’s a nuance between ‘We are taking phone calls’ and ‘We are looking to make trades.’ The fact that Garland’s injury was so severe, that is just an indication of how limited he was in that series. If you’re the Cavs, you’re saying it stinks that we had to go through this playoffs with one of our all-stars wounded, and let’s maybe try to see what happens when our all-stars are not wounded,” Windhorst said.

“Obviously Darius Garland is not getting traded,” – @WindhorstESPN 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/5CeHKxav7N

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 10, 2025

Garland clearly wasn’t at 100% during that series.

Then again, even if that were the only reason why he struggled, which is a big if, Garland has rarely been healthy in the postseason, and that’s also a major issue.

Garland has a long history of struggles in big moments, and his numbers in elimination games have left a lot to be desired.

Injuries can obviously take a toll on any player’s game, and Garland deserves credit for trying to push through it, but the problem remains the same.

You need your best players to show up, but you also need them to be available.