Insider Has Brutal Admission About Darius Garland

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to bolster their backcourt defense.

Donovan Mitchell is their leading scorer, and as such, the team isn’t likely to move on from him.

Notably, that makes Darius Garland the odd man out in this equation.

That’s because he’s not as consistent as Mitchell, and he’s also not a good defender.

At least, that’s how Chris Fedor feels.

Talking on 92.3 The Fan, the renowned insider claimed that Garland was a defensive liability:

“For all of the greatness that [Darius Garland] brings on the offensive end of the floor, he is a complete and utter defensive liability. You saw it in the regular season, and you saw it in the playoffs. Given their salary cap situation, I think he would be the one to solve a lot of their problems if they get the kind of offer that we could all agree would make them a better team and closer to a championship, and the idea behind it is you take one high-priced player and you try to turn him into three playable guys,” Fedor said.

“For all of the greatness that he brings on the offensive end of the floor, he is a complete and utter defensive liability.”

📞 @ChrisFedor with @EarldaPearl216 and @Spencito_ on why trading Darius Garland could make sense for the #Cavs 🏀⬇️

🔊 Listen: https://t.co/xWJjonbwsh https://t.co/meCOzBKzIi pic.twitter.com/nQsqQfWydo

— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) June 7, 2025

Granted, Mitchell isn’t much of a defensive force either, but again, he’s the team’s go-to scorer, so he’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Cavaliers fans and analysts have questioned Garland’s ability to coexist with Mitchell in the backcourt for years now.

The team, however, continues to double down on its commitment to them.

Garland is a very good offensive player.

He’s a solid playmaker and an efficient three-level scorer.

Nevertheless, after watching him be a non-factor on offense in three consecutive playoff runs and also hurt the team on defense, it might be time to consider parting ways with him.

He’s left plenty to be desired in big moments and elimination games, and it’s hard to envision a championship-winning team with two ball-dominant guards who can’t or won’t play defense.

As things stand now, only Mitchell and Evan Mobley should be considered untouchable on this team, even if they just won the second-most games in the regular season and were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.