It hasn’t been a great start to the 2025-26 NBA season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite being one of the favorites to win the East, their performance has been far from that of a juggernaut in the conference. To make matters worse, their franchise point guard, Darius Garland, could potentially be on the move.
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In the 2024-25 season, the Cavaliers were the darlings of the NBA. They dominated their competition emphatically en route to a 64-18 record. Unfortunately, their flame fizzled quickly in the postseason.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers suffered drastic injuries to Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton, practically removing them from title contention. As a result, the Cavaliers received a perfect runway to finally get over the hump.
Instead, they have looked like a shell of the team they were last season. They currently sit at the seventh seed with a 15-14 record. If the Cavs fail to perform in the postseason yet again with this core, it may be time to shake things up. However, Darius Garland may force Cleveland to pull the trigger sooner than anticipated.
“The intel from some NBA teams is a perception that Garland would like to run his own team again at some point, as opposed to being in a more complementary role next to Mitchell,” Dallas Hoops Journal’s Grant Afseth said.
Garland was once the face of the Cavaliers franchise. In the season leading to Mitchell’s arrival, Garland was an All-Star behind averages of 21.7 points, 8.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Of course, once Mitchell came to town, his production level took a bit of a hit.
This news may result in some PTSD for Cavs fans. In the past, reports circulated regarding Garland’s desire to play alongside Mitchell. These rumors began to spread during the 2023-24 season, which saw Garland’s stats drop across the board.
This season has been a bit of the same, as Garland is averaging just 16.9 points per game. However, his struggles this season can be attributed to the lingering toe injury from last season.
Regardless, it isn’t uncommon for a player to want to spread their wings. Kyrie Irving pursued the same thing, which led him to part ways with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
If Garland decides to follow the same path, it could lead the franchise to suffer some big consequences.
