Donovan Mitchell Clears the Air Towards Darius Garland After Cavs Trade

Mitchell seemed tired of reading how he felt and let out his opinion on his former teammate.

Feb 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers Darius Garland gets a hug from Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline is coming to a close, with Cleveland among the league's most active teams, making a multitude of trades. Starting with getting rid of De’Andre Hunter to bring in Dennis Schröder and Keon Ellis, also moving on from Lonzo Ball, trading him away to the Jazz in a salary dump move. 

The most turbulent trade for Cleveland was, of course, giving up Darius Garland in favor of bringing in James Harden. Garland was one of the franchise’s longest tenured players before being traded, as he was drafted by Cleveland in 2019, and became a fan favorite in the land by helping turn the franchise around after LeBron left.

Many Cavs fans were surprised to hear that Donovan Mitchell was a part of the organization pushing for the Cavs to make this deal, as most Cleveland fans saw how they interacted with each other and assumed they were very close.

Mitchell cleared the air on how he feels about his former backcourt partner earlier today: 

What Mitchell said about Garland trade

“Not many guys get traded and then want to sit there and watch their old team play. It speaks to D.G. It speaks to where he is with us and where we are with him. He will be at my wedding. We’re brothers first. Then all of this is second. It’s bigger than basketball. With me and him, it’s always love. We fell short of our goal. But it’s always going to be love,” per cleveland.com.

Now, I know the picture of Mitchell and Garland at Mitchell’s wedding will not be a sight for sore eyes after the many memories they shared on and off the court, but his quote also confirms what many thought of the relationship.

Mitchell did not think that the Cavs could win a championship with Garland alongside him, and when presented with the opportunity to pair up with James Harden, it wasn’t clear if Mitchell jumped at the chance, but he definitely didn’t say no.

It is clear that the truth is not that Mitchell didn’t enjoy playing with Garland; he just didn’t think the ceiling of them together could go all the way.

 If you are Garland, that has to sting that your brother and a guy you have made a great connection with would approve of a deal to ship you away. But, sadly, the NBA is a business, and if you’re not winning championships, you’re presumably failing.