Darius Garland Trade Rumors Shed Light on Star's Status with Cavs at 2026 NBA Deadline

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland reportedly isn't available on the trade block at this time, Jake Fischer wrote for the Stein Line newsletter on Saturday.

"There is always a lot of trade chatter surrounding [Ty] Jerome's former Cavaliers teammate Darius Garland, but I can only disappoint those of you who have been regularly plugging his name into your favorite trade machine this winter," Fischer wrote.

"I just haven't heard any credible rumblings about Garland's availability."

Garland has averaged 17.3 points on 40.3 percent shooting (36.8 percent from three and 7.1 assists through 16 games. He missed the beginning of the season after undergoing surgery last June to address a left big toe injury.

The 25-year-old Garland is a seven-season veteran and two-time All-Star. The Cavs selected the former Vanderbilt star with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He played an invaluable role on the 2024-25 Cavs, who won 64 games and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The shorthanded Cavs eventually lost in the second round to the Indiana Pacers.

This year's Cavs team started well at 12-6 but has since fallen to 17-15. They are only three losses away from that year's defeat total. Naturally, trade speculation about players is possible on a slumping team, but Garland isn't involved in any rumors at the moment.

"Maybe that changes as the Feb. 5 deadline draws closer," Fischer wrote. "Vultures from other teams are certainly circling — well aware that the Cavaliers are carrying the league's highest payroll and falling well short of expectations at 17-15 — but those vultures are still waiting for a green light to make firm trade offers for Garland or Jarrett Allen."

He also provided a theory about why he thinks there's noise surrounding Garland, referencing past rumors connecting him to the San Antonio Spurs.

"My sense is that much of incessant noise pertaining to Garland stems from what happened a couple offseasons back, when Garland's representation at Klutch Sports was said to be pushing for a trade that would have landed him in San Antonio as Victor Wembanyama's running mate. There was considerable chatter about the aforementioned Paul looking to park one of his All-Star-caliber guards next to Wembanyama — then-Klutch client Trae Young was also inserted often into this discussion — but all of that talk was hushed in February when De'Aaron Fox, with Paul's assistance, was traded from Sacramento to the Alamo City."

A Garland-Spurs union isn't happening now that the Spurs are flush with guards thanks to De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.

The Cavs have some problems on their hands right now as they try to bust this slump. They also have a brutal schedule up ahead with seven of their next eight games against winning teams, starting with road contests against the Houston Rockets and Spurs.

The good news is that Garland is playing well right now, averaging 23.0 points and 9.0 assists per game in his last four contests. He'll try to guide the Cavs to victory Saturday when they visit Houston at 8 p.m. ET.