Cleveland Cavaliers: Pros and cons of trading Collin Sexton or Darius Garland

Conclusion

There is an obvious case to split up this backcourt duo before the franchise wastes too much time on a formula that won’t work. With an upcoming draft loaded with quality replacements for Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, now seems to be the best time to pull the trigger on a trade.

LaMelo Ball has the highest upside of any player in the draft. He led the NBL in assists as a teenager and has a wide array of moves to get to the basket. If the Cavaliers win the lottery and end up taking a prospect other than Ball, they will be missing out on a potentially franchise-changing player.

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On the other hand, the Cavs can target players they need to round out the rest of this lineup. If buffing the defense is their top priority, a wing defender like Isaac Okoro can make an instant improvement. If the franchise wants to add more shooters to play alongside Sexton and Garland, they can target Obi Toppin, a 6’9″ forward who shot 39.0 percent from deep last season.

Then, there’s always the option to wait it out and see what happens. As we’ve stated, it is much too early to write off Sexton and Garland. We can’t define who they are as players so early into their careers.

Nonetheless, there must be some changes next season. At the very least, Garland and Sexton need to have their roles adjusted. Don’t forget, Kevin Porter Jr. is still waiting for his time to shine. Soon, his growth could leave the Cavs no choice other than to insert him into the starting lineup.

If the organization doesn’t want to trade anybody just yet, they can always move someone to the bench. Or, they can experiment with an extremely small lineup of Sexton, Garland and Porter.

The Cavaliers have options and that is a good thing for a rebuilding franchise. But, tough decisions are on the horizon. The decisions the front office makes within the next few months will have a longterm impact on the organization.