10 NBA Stars Who Will Dominate Trade Rumors This Offseason | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Darius Garland is something of an 11th-hour entrant into these proceedings.

Yes, you could always envision a path to him hitting the chopping block. The Cleveland Cavaliers' roster feels imbalanced in the backcourt, with two small guards on top of their frontline redundancies.

If Donovan Mitchell agrees to an extension, the idea that the front office might dangle Garland in search of a glitzier wing is hardly farfetched.

"Furthermore, rival executives believe the Cavs will have to seriously evaluate the fit of Mitchell and Garland and ultimately may have to choose one or the other. Should Mitchell decide to stay long term, sources briefed on the matter say Garland's representation, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, would have a conversation with Cavs officials on potentially finding a new home for the one-time All-Star."

A plot twist.

Garland has four years left on his contract, so the Cavs aren't obligated to move him if he asks for (or demands) out. But he's coming off a down season in which he battled numerous injuries and his fit beside Mitchell deteriorated, and allocating two maxes to guards who can't defend up comes with inherent challenges.

Both Garland and Mitchell are quality enough off-ball shooters to make the dynamic work in time, but this presumes Cleveland has it. Mitchell and Mobley are about to get more expensive, and Jarrett Allen isn't too far behind. The honeymoon phase for this core is officially over, and that report from The Athletic suggests the organization is contemplating wholesale changes.

In the event Mitchell signs his extension, Garland's name will take off inside the rumor mill—perhaps more meteorically than Allen's own inevitable cameo inside the speculation factory.

Maybe Garland's down seasons functions as a scare tactic to prospective admirers. Generally speaking, though, teams won't shy away from ponying up for a 24-year-old with an All-Star nod under his belt, particularly one who can't reach free agency until 2028.