Darius Garland Reveals When he Knew he was Done with the Cavaliers

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DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 21: Darius Garland #10 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts after scoring a basket in overtime against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on March 21, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

The Cleveland Cavaliers made the surprising decision to trade for James Harden at the trade deadline. The centerpiece of that trade was Darius Garland. Garland is trying his best to figure out a new role for himself with the Clippers.

Garland has been injured for a lot of this season. So far, Garland has played just 39 games between Cleveland and Los Angeles. He has dealt with injuries to both feet, which have slowed his effectiveness. Yet, Garland knew this was going to be his last year in Cleveland.

Recently, Garland revealed that he knew that he was done in Cleveland well before the trade was made.

Darius Garland Knew This was his Last Season with the Cavaliers

According to Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Garland approached this season knowing it was going to be his final year in Cleveland.

“It’s a new chapter of my life. Rich talked about it even last summer, before it happened, [saying] it’s probably going to be our last year there. So, I was ready for it. I knew it was going to come sooner or later. So, when it happened, I was like, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s rock out.’”

Garland was clearly ready for a change in scenery. It had become clear that Donovan Mitchell was the face of the franchise, and he was the offensive focal point. Garland was looking for a chance to go somewhere else to a team that seemed to have a better shot at winning a title.

Now, Garland plays for a Los Angeles team that has been one of the hottest teams in the league in the last few months. Garland started off coming off the bench when he first started playing for LA, but has now moved into the starting lineup.

Cleveland Could be Forced to Make Big Decisions This Summer

Cleveland has one of the most expensive teams in the league. They are over the second apron of the luxury tax as currently constructed. If they don’t win a championship this season, they will have some big decisions. This team is too expensive to bring back if they can’t win it all.

Trading for Harden means that they will likely be signing him to a contract extension in the offseason. Mitchell is already getting paid a boatload of money. Evan Mobley is also on a max contract. That will make it hard for them to build around those three players.

Dan Gilbert has not been afraid to pay a lot of luxury tax money. Since he started owning the Cavaliers, he has done everything he can to help the team win championships. He is not afraid of spending as much money as possible in order to win games.

Garland’s unavailability over the last couple of seasons was a big factor in Cleveland’s decision to trade him. He wasn’t healthy enough to stay on the court, and that forced the Cavs to send him away. It’s a risk that they were willing to take to win a championship this year.

Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano