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[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs reportedly have ‘little interest’ in trading with Orlando

Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Sending Darius Garland to Orlando doesn’t seem like something the front office wants to do.

This will be an offseason full of rumors and speculation. That happens when a 64-win team like the Cleveland Cavaliers gets bounced in the second round by an opponent they were expected to handle.

Trading Darius Garland to the Orlando Magic for Jalen Suggs has been a popular idea in some circles. The logic would be that even though the Cavs would be acquiring a far worse player in the deal, they would at least save money on the backend of Suggs’s current contract while bolstering their interior defense.

I’ve already gone into why this would be a horrible move for the Cavs. The current reporting suggests that Cleveland’s front office isn’t keen on a deal with Orlando.

According to Jake Fisher, the Cavs have not had substantive trade conversations with the Magic. Fisher writes:

For all the noise these days around Darius Garland in Cleveland, we’ve been reliably told that the Cavaliers and Magic have not held substantive conversations on a Garland deal ... and that Cleveland has little interest in helping Orlando improve its standing in the Eastern Conference.

This doesn’t mean that the Cavs are completely against moving Garland in any type of deal. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has stated that they could be open to moving Garland “under the right circumstances.” For now, sending him to a potential playoff opponent doesn’t seem to be the right circumstance.

Things can change quickly in the NBA. Just because something is off the table now doesn’t mean that it will be next month or in a few weeks. Additionally, Koby Altman’s front office typically doesn’t telegraph its moves. Their big trades — like the Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell deals — were both somewhat unexpected before they went down. It stands to reason that any move involving a current member of their core would be carried out the same way.

The second apron will also make any deal more difficult this offseason. They aren’t allowed to take more money back than they send out, and they can’t aggregate contracts. That means that they aren’t able to send out two players and get back one like they did with the De’Andre Hunter trade back in February.

This will be a busy offseason for Altman. He will have to make difficult decisions about whether this core is built to compete in the playoffs after they’ve been bounced by a team with a worse regular season record in two of the three years they’ve been together.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/6...-orland-magic-jalen-suggs-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs NBA Draft Profile: Michael Ružić

Ružić is one of the younger players in the draft, but does he have the potential to grow into an NBA-caliber big?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two late second-round draft picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. Using one or both of those picks on a possible draft-and-stash international player might make sense, considering who they already have under contract.

Michael Ružić is an international prospect who could potentially fit that mold.

As an important disclaimer, we are not draft experts. This article contains links to people who are. I’d encourage you to check those out to find out more information.

Who is Michael Ružić?​

Ružić is an 18-year-old, 6’10” Croatian big with potential. He projects to be a good shooter and has solid defensive instincts, although he isn’t close to being ready for NBA minutes.

Many of the players that we’ve profiled so far are fifth-year seniors who are going to be 23 or 24 years old by the start of the season. Ružić is on the other end of the spectrum. He hasn’t yet reached his potential, but it’s fair to wonder how good of a player he could be if he does.

Ružić missed the beginning of last season with a thumb injury and was bad when he returned. He only played 17 games and 11 minutes per outing with Joventut in Spain. Ružić struggled in those limited minutes as he provided 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game on .462/.200/.333 shooting splits. This all resulted in his draft stock falling.

It’s difficult to project someone so young who needs to grow physically. Ružić’s lack of strength and foot speed is a real problem at his current level. But there is offensive upside that could outweigh those.

Where is Ružić expected to go in the draft?​

Ružić is expected to go late in the second round. Big boards have him between the mid-40s and high 50s.

What do the experts say about Ružić?​

Jonathan Dogbo of Babcock Hoops:

Michael Ruzic is a young, skilled forward with significant upside, particularly as a shooter and finisher. While his lack of strength and defensive limitations currently hold him back, his high basketball IQ and solid fundamentals provide a foundation for development. With improvements in physicality and shooting consistency, Ruzic has the potential to become a valuable stretch forward at the professional level.

NBA.com scouting report from RotoWire:

Ruzic mostly projects as a stretch five at the NBA level, though he’s young and may need to add weight to make a physical impact in the post. Regardless, this is a skill set that most teams desire and may take a chance on with a second-round pick. With his length, shooting and shot-blocking potential, Ruzic could share broad comparisons to NBA players like Jabari Smith Jr. and Ersan Ilyasova.

Draft Express breakdown:

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How could Ružić help the Cavs?​

The Cavs need bigs and cost-controlled rotation players as they project to be a second-apron team into the future.

Taking a flyer on someone with Ružić’s size and potential is a worthwhile gamble. This is especially true if he’s someone who can continue to develop in Spain and doesn’t need an immediate roster spot.

This could be a worthwhile gamble with a late second-round pick.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/6...aft-profile-michael-ruzic-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Report: Cavs’ Darius Garland ‘obviously’ not getting traded

Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

The Cavs aren’t likely to trade their All-Star point guard.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst shut down any notion of the Cleveland Cavaliers trying to trade Darius Garland this summer. He explains that just because they’ll be listening to offers does not mean the Cavs are actively shopping Garland.

“Obviously Darius Garland is not getting traded,” Windhorst said on ESPN Cleveland. “Here’s the nuance, the Cavs are going to pick up the phone... there’s a nuance between we are taking phone calls and are looking to make trades.”

Garland is coming off the best season of his career. Even if his per-game stats don’t show it. The Cavaliers roared to 64 wins and a historic offensive rating behind Garland’s mastery at point guard. It’s no coincidence that all crumbled when he suffered a demobilizing toe injury.

“If anything, the fact that Garland’s injury was so severe... that is an indication of how limited he was in that series,” said Windhorst. “If anything, you’re the Cavs and you’re saying... let’s maybe try to see what happens when our All-Stars are not wounded.”

This train of thought makes sense. The Cavs didn’t stroll into a second round series at full strength and get knocked on their butts. They limped against a title-contending squad that beat them fair and square. There’s enough reason to think a healthy Cavaliers could have won the series — or at the very least, been much more competitive.

For this reason, the impulse to trade everyone feels like a knee-jerk overreaction. Moving Garland would be especially risky. The Cavs will be competing for a title next season if the core is healthy. They might not get that opportunity if they swing on the wrong trade.

Maybe we can finally stop talking about this now? Probably not. It’s going to be a long summer.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/6...s-darius-garland-obviously-not-getting-traded

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

VOTE: Do you want to see Darius Garland on the Cavs next season?

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cleveland Cavaliers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

The Cavs don’t have many avenues to improve this offseason due to the second apron. One of the ways that they could potentially do so is by moving Darius Garland. A two-time, 25-year-old All-Star who is yet to hit his prime could bring back a nice haul.

That said, it’s easier to come up with fake trades that could help the Cavs than it is to find a real one that complies with the second-apron rules.

So, what do you think? What do you want the Cavs to do?

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/2025/6...to-see-darius-garland-on-the-cavs-next-season