Mitchell-Garland Partnership Has Disrupted Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot to think about over the upcoming NBA off-season regarding their All-Star personnel.

With the growing likeliness that backcourt pair Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have played their last game together in the wine and gold uniforms, league insider Mark Medina makes a case that their partnership caused ‘disruption’ to the organization, thus arguing that it would be in all parties’ best interests to split up and part ways with one of the stars.

Will an All-Star Guard Be Departing From the Cavaliers?

Garland reportedly wants trade if Mitchell signs extension

Having parted ways with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff after the Cavaliers exited the playoffs in the second-round, Cleveland appear to be in a transition stage, with there growing uncertainty over whether their core will run it back.

Despite the Cavaliers appearing to be wanting to head in that direction and retain the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, not all players may be willing to hop on board with that plan, with the most uncertainty being generated around the futures of Mitchell and Garland, in particular.

Trade rumors have constantly circulated around Mitchell since he was a member of the Utah Jazz, but with one year plus a player option remaining on his current contract with the Cavaliers, rumors of a possible move for the five-time All-Star have once again been making the rounds.

Multiple teams, including the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Lakers headlining the list of interested parties, with the latter viewed as the favorites should a trade opportunity present itself.

However, it is widely expected that the Cavaliers – who Mitchell publicly stated he was happy being with – will retain the 27-year-old by offering him a new extension, with the guard eligible to sign a $208.5 million deal over five years, approximately $70 million more than any other team can offer him, in July.

If Mitchell were to commit his long-term future to Cleveland, then that could signal the end of the road for Garland in a Cavaliers uniform, with the guard reportedly considering forcing an exit from the team by requesting a trade if things were to transpire in that way.

Should Mitchell decide he wants to move on himself and not sign an extension this summer, then Cleveland would likely not hesitate in moving him on, citing that they have no interest in allowing their franchise star to play next season under the guise of heading into the following off-season as a free agent.

Cleveland Expected To Keep Mitchell, Seek Good Assets in Return for Garland

While there is still a level of uncertainty over the direction in which the Cavaliers’ front office will take the franchise over the summer, Medina predicts that they will ultimately wind up keeping the more established star in Mitchell, and seek a good returning haul in exchange for the younger, less proven, Garland.

Inconsistent Backcourt Partnership

Cleveland registered a 2.4 net rating when Garland was off the court

From an outsider’s perspective, the pairing of Mitchell and Garland looked to be a good fit, with the duo helping take the Cavaliers to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference in back-to-back seasons.

During the 2023-24 regular season campaign, the two would combine for 50.6 points on 49.1 percent shooting from the field and 37.4 percent from behind the three-point line, 18.3 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 4.0 steals, and 2.1 blocks when sharing the court together.

Their combined scoring in the playoffs would rise slightly to 56.3 points per outing, though their shooting efficiency was exponentially worse, in which they shot only 45.6 percent from the field and a lowly 29.5 percent from distance.

They would register more rebounds (22.9) and blocks (2.6) per contest, though, as they fought valiantly in a seven-game series against the overachieving Orlando Magic, before falling to the now NBA finalists, the Boston Celtics, in five games after Mitchell suffered an injury which forced him to miss the final two contests of their season.

However, when delving deeper into their individual numbers when sharing the court together, it became more and more evident that they were perhaps not the most compatible backcourt duo in the league.

When Mitchell was on the court and Garland was not, the Cavaliers actually performed at a far better rate, as measured by their positive 8.78 net efficiency, than when both were sharing the court (4.05 net rating), and when Garland was leading the line by himself, in which the Cavaliers were outscored by 0.14 points per 100 possessions.

Therefore, it would be easy to conclude that Mitchell impacted the team’s winning much more than Garland has in his short career, but as past history would suggest, Mitchell alone has been unable to lead a team deep into the playoffs, having failed to progress past the conference semi-finals in seven career post-season attempts.

What Cleveland’s final decision is regarding their All-Star backcourt still remains unclear, but with the 2024 off-season fast approaching, it could be a busy summer for the organization, who will desperately be trying to get Mitchell on-board for the long haul, even if that decision comes at the cost of losing a player who they drafted with their lottery pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

All statistics courtesy of Statmuse, ESPN, NBA.com and Basketball Reference.

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