Surprising Trade Proposal Projects Cavaliers Flip All-Star to Timberwolves
Surprising Trade Proposal Projects Cavaliers Flip All-Star to Timberwolves originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cleveland Cavaliers' 2024-25 NBA season ended not with a bang, as many expected, but a whimper.
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Following a 64-win run that saw them finish atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since the LeBron James days, the Cavaliers appeared well-positioned to make a deep postseason run and perhaps threaten to win their first title in nine years.
Instead, Cleveland was felled in five brisk bouts by the No. 4-seeded Indiana Pacers during a semifinal clash. The Pacers are themselves now 1-1 in the NBA Finals against the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder.
There are a few caveats to that second round playoff defeat. For one, two-time All-Star Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland was struggling with a left great toe injury that caused him to miss the first two games of the Pacers series, and limited his effectiveness when he did return to the floor for Game 3.
ESPN's Shams Charania reports that Garland is now undergoing a surgery on that toe, which could see him miss the start of 2025-26.
All-NBA power forward Evan Mobley and sixth man forward De'Andre Hunter both sat out Game 2 with respective maladies of their own, while six-time All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell missed the second half of a critical Game 4 loss with an ailment.
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Even with those injury issues, Cleveland looked shockingly disjointed against the faster, more athletic Pacers, and the fit of Garland and Mitchell came under scrutiny.
Now, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com has proposed an intriguing blockbuster trade that could see the club ditch Garland, still just 25, and add more wing depth around Mitchell, while definitively making him the Cavaliers' lead guard.
In the hypothetical deal, the Cavaliers would acquire All-Defensive small forward Jaden McDaniels, intriguing rookie Terrance Shannon Jr., and two-way combo guard Donte DiVincenzo in exchange for Garland.
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"Minnesota has been a long-time Garland admirer — even going back to 2019 draft night — and it needs shot creation alongside Anthony Edwards," writes Fedor. "Perhaps being surrounded by dogged, lengthy perimeter defenders and the league's preeminent rim protector (Rudy Gobert) will help Garland?"
Cleveland Cavaliers stars Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell© David Richard-Imagn Images
The Timberwolves haven't been shy about reconfiguring their roster around Edwards, a three-time All-NBA honoree and budding superstar. Garland would give the club another elite ball handler and scorer, while Edwards' excellent two-way play could make the pairing of the two more effective than the Garland-Mitchell tandem has been in the playoffs.
"In this case, the Cavs get three rotational pieces, including a proven playoff performer (McDaniels) and the sharpshooting DiVincenzo who has not only been on their trade target list in the past but has familiarity with [Cavaliers head coach Kenny] Atkinson from their one year in Golden State together," Fedor notes.
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Related: Kings Reportedly Interested in Trading for Cavaliers Star
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
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