Following the trade that sent Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets, a report emerged indicating that the Cleveland Cavaliers had previously explored a potential deal involving star guard Darius Garland and Durant.
However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst offered more background on the situation. According to him, it was actually Phoenix that initiated the conversation, showing interest in acquiring Garland. He also clarified that Cleveland wasn’t actively shopping the All-Star guard but made it clear they would need more than just Durant to even consider a deal.
> “The Suns, from what I am told, were the ones to reach out that had interest in Garland,” Windhorst said. “It was not the Cavs who wanted to trade Garland. Now, you know what I’ve told you over the last month, that the Cavs are under an obligation, because they’re going into the second apron, that they have to pay attention to anything like this because it becomes exponentially harder.
> “So, the Cavs said the only way that they would ever consider this would be if they — the Suns — sent Kevin Durant plus other assets, and the Suns didn’t hang up the phone. And so, I’ll just point out that the Suns own the Cavs’ 2029 first-round pick because they got it from the [Utah] Jazz last year, and getting back your own picks in the distant future is somewhat attractive. But the Cavs to do that trade would have had to offload salary because they just couldn’t take it on.
> “And I do think they had some calls about bringing in third teams. So, it wasn’t one call, and it wouldn’t have been just Durant, and it wasn’t them looking to trade Garland, but they made more than one call, and this was not last week. I mean, this was not two days ago. This was a while ago.”
Despite Garland’s recent toe surgery and an underwhelming 2025 playoff run, the Cavaliers still appear to value him highly. He’s expected to miss several months recovering, which has reportedly prompted rival teams to test the waters in hopes of acquiring him at a discount.
Garland remains one of the league’s most skilled point guards, posting averages of 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and strong shooting splits during the 2024-25 season (47.2% FG, 40.1% 3PT). Still, Durant’s proven scoring prowess — 26.6 points per game last season — could’ve created a formidable backcourt tandem with Donovan Mitchell in Cleveland.
With Durant now headed to Houston, all eyes will be on how both franchises move forward. The Cavaliers are betting on Garland’s growth and long-term impact, hoping he can lead them deeper into the playoffs in 2026 and justify their decision not to pull the trigger.
