NBA Rumors: Darius Garland Trade Was 'Never Entertained' by Cavs After 2024 Season

Darius Garland has repeatedly denied he wanted to be traded while the Cleveland Cavaliers negotiated an extension with Donovan Mitchell after last spring's second-round elimination.

According to a Friday report from ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Cavaliers weren't interested in trading Garland, either.

MacMahon wrote that Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman "never entertained the possibility of exploring Garland's value in the trade market" ahead of the 2024-25 season.

The Cavaliers' negotiations with Mitchell last summer came alongside rumors that Garland would prefer to seek a trade rather than splitting ball-handling duties with the Cavs' other star.

The San Antonio Spurs then reached out to the Cavaliers about a potential trade for Garland, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Garland, who had seen his production dip in 2023-24 while dealing with setbacks including a broken jaw and the loss of his grandmother, told reporters last fall the rumors were so prevalent they drove him to meet with Altman last summer.

"Had a talk with Koby, and he was pretty upset about it," Garland said in September, per Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal. "I told him that I wanted to be here, and he knows that as well, so it wasn't a really long conversation."

Garland added that he didn't know where the rumor had originated, but "it was definitely false."

Altman has meanwhile continued expressing confidence in building a team around both Mitchell and Garland, even immediately after last season's disappointing playoff exit.

During the Cavaliers' end-of-season press conference last May, Altman said there was "way more data that speaks to it works than doesn't" in terms of putting two ball-handling guards on the roster.

That confidence has paid off for Altman. Both Mitchell and Garland are All-Stars, and the 48-win Cavaliers could finish the season as the top seed in the Western Conference.