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The Cleveland Cavaliers are at a crossroads as a team. They have had the same core since 2022, and while their regular-season record improved every year, they never made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, flaming out in the first or second rounds. No one on the team is getting any younger.
If it's time to blow the roster up, Darius Garland is the apparent choice to trade and get some pieces back because he is a productive star in the making, and it helps that he is still young. The NBA offseason might just be getting started for the Magic.
Notable offshore sportsbook Bovada recently updated its offseason odds for the NBA, and it has fellow Eastern Conference foe the Orlando Magic as the favorites to land Garland with plus-170 odds. The four other teams that round out the top five are the Boston Celtics, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the San Antonio Spurs.
At 25 years old, Garland is coming off his second All-Star season, where he averaged 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per contest while shooting 47.2% from the field and 40.1% from the three-point range. He would be an instant spark plug for whatever team traded for him, which is why, if he got traded to the Magic, it would be a very intriguing move.
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The Magic have a good young core, highlighted by Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Still, they desperately need more offense on this roster because only those two have been able to get consistent offense for Orlando, so any way to help alleviate some of that pressure would be huge.
Orlando is coming off a second straight playoff appearance, finishing with a 41-41 record and at the seventh seed, losing in five games to the Celtics. A move to trade for Garland might be the perfect move to jumpstart this offense and help the Magic take that next step. It would help them get a higher seed postseason and potentially win a playoff series.
It's not certain that the Cavaliers are ready to shake up their roster, but after this past season's flameout in the postseason, all signs point to that. If they do, then the Magic seems the best possible pick. It just depends on whether the Cavaliers are willing to make a move.
