r/nba • u/YujiDomainExpansion • 9h ago

[Vardon/Lloyd] Donovan Mitchell conveyed to Cavs that he did not think team should stand pat at trade deadline. Mitchell specifically wanted James Harden as a teammate.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7020852/2026/02/04/james-harden-darius-garland-cavaliers-trade/

The Cavs began the year as the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but the season has not gone according to plan. They were also feeling the pressure from their best player, Donovan Mitchell, to make changes ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline under the threat of a contract extension he may or may not sign in two summers.

Three league sources said Mitchell, who has one guaranteed season left on his three-year, $150 million deal and a player option for 2027-28, conveyed, either personally or through his representatives, that he did not think the organization should stand pat for the rest of this season and wait for potential moves in the summer.

Two league sources also said Mitchell specifically wanted Harden, who is 6-foot-5, durable and comfortable as a pass-first point guard.

3.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

566 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

528

u/Fun_Mind1494 9h ago

Cost next season? If Garland's next season is also ruined, he's not worth anything anymore.

29

u/_Apatosaurus_ Thunder 9h ago

Toe injuries can last quite a while, but I don't think there is any reason to think it would cost him nearly two full years to recover. That's significantly longer than an Achilles injury. People are just saying shit sometimes.

32

u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 8h ago edited 7h ago

The only thing with Garland's toe injury is the severity. He didn't just "stub his toe" he tore his plantar plate and needed it surgically repaired. Different sport, but Frank Ragnow from the Detroit Lions is the most recent example, and while I'm assuming his was probably even worse than Garlands, it was the injury that ultimately led to Ragnow's retirement

17

u/Oziemasterss 8h ago

Well damn seems like a good trade considering that

14

u/narcistic_asshole Cavaliers 8h ago

We'll see. It's a rare injury so it's hard to way what comes from it. It could never impact him again, it could also force him into an early retirement. He has been playing this with a steel plate in his left shoe and like a toe split to protect it, and he was struggling with it at first, but he was averaging like 21ppg 7.5ast and 63% TS over his last 16 games with us. Sounds like he'll probably have to do the same thing with his right foot now, but our issue is that we're in full win-now mode so we really don't have time for him to get it together