Darius Garland Pours Cold Water on LeBron James Cavs Reunion Rumors

Former Cavs point guard Darius Garland doesn't see LeBron James heading to Cleveland this offseason.

Nov 25, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) passes as Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

One of the biggest stories of this NBA offseason is where LeBron James will play next, since he is a free agent, and a former Cavs point guard Darius Garland, doesn't see how LeBron will end up in Cleveland.

Garland doesn't think LeBron will head back to the Cavs

“Sunny days, 75 every day. … It’s 40 there now," Garland said Tuesday on "Ball In The Family Podcast".

Darius Garland thinks it would be hard for LeBron to go from L.A. to Cleveland

“Sunny days, 75 every day. … It’s 40 there now.” 😬

(via @ballinthefampod) pic.twitter.com/TphpeZD5l6

— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) June 2, 2026

Garland is talking about how it's nice and warm being 75 degrees in Los Angeles, and at the same time, it's 40 degrees in Cleveland, wondering why LeBron would want to leave the nice weather to head back to the cold.

The weather in Los Angeles is great, but it may not influence LeBron's decision. If the Lakers don’t want him back, or if he doubts their chances of winning, he might have to face colder weather to pursue a championship elsewhere, and that could be in Cleveland.

LeBron grew up in Northeast Ohio and played 11 seasons for the Cavs, so he knows the weather well, and it never seemed to affect him.

Garland seems salty about not playing in Cleveland anymore, which may explain his shots at the city. The Cavs traded him in January, sending a second-round pick to the Clippers for James Harden.

Garland seems to be happy to no longer play in Cleveland

The 26-year-old point guard also discussed how he found his joy back playing for the Clippers.

"It's been great, bro," Garland added. "Coming to a system where I can actually be me. Have the ball in my hand for the majority of the game and actually have control of the pace of the game. Just being like a second coach out there, literally. It was fun when I was out there playing, for sure. I got my joy back."

Garland was a key reason the Cavs couldn't reach the Eastern Conference finals during his three seasons alongside Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs needed to trade Garland due to his injury issues and defensive struggles. The backcourt duo of Garland and Mitchell wasn't effective. Even after being swept by the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, if they hadn't traded for Harden, they wouldn't have advanced past the first round with Garland as point guard.

Hopefully, Garland can still have a nice career, but it seems he was unhappy with how things ended in Cleveland. The Clippers have the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, which could help them find a long-term teammate for him.