Cleveland Cavaliers Star Mentioned in Trade Idea to Western Conference

An NBA insider mentioned the Cavaliers trading Darius Garland to a Western Conference in a bold trade that would shake up Cleveland's roster.

Mar 23, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) makes a layup against Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Peter Creveling-Imagn Images | Peter Creveling-Imagn Images

After a disappointing second-round exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, the Cleveland Cavaliers are searching for options to improve their roster. However, according to Yahoo Sports NBA insider Tom Habstroh, the Cavaliers should pull the trigger on trading for LeBron James all while breaking up their All-Star duo of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

In a long-form piece about why Cleveland should trade for James, Habstroh draws inspiration from a recent trade hypothetical and argues that the Cavaliers should find a way to facilitate Garland to the Utah Jazz, breaking apart what he considers to be Cleveland's "weak link".

"Look, the team is paying its undersized backcourt, Garland and Donovan Mitchell, an astounding $276 million over the next three seasons, which is simply untenable," Habstroh wrote. "As we saw clearly this postseason, having two weak defenders on the perimeter will doom the Cavs in the modern “weak link” NBA that marginalizes one-way players. Trading Garland to a team long desperate for a lead point guard, the Jazz, would quell that concern."

NEW @YahooSports: If LeBron James wants to win a championship, he should go back to Cleveland and take full advantage of the decimated Eastern Conference. pic.twitter.com/ZzG89lj2DO

— Mr. Statistician Face Man (@tomhaberstroh) July 2, 2025

By pairing Mitchell with James, who would likely operate as Cleveland's point forward, Habstroh believes the Cavaliers would have more than enough to contend for a championship next season.

Habstroh points out that the Eastern Conference is weak due to injuries next year and, if the Cavaliers want to take advantage of the lack of competition, should make a bold trade to land James all while moving on from Garland.

"The case for the Cavs going for LeBron is simple: They won 64 games last season, but looked severely flawed in yet another disappointing postseason run. As LeBron’s former Cleveland teammate Channing Frye presciently said on an Oddball episode back in March, the current iteration of the Cavs doesn’t measure up to the LeBron Cavs teams simply because they lack what Frye termed as “a bully” on the floor."