New Report Reveals Cavaliers Frustration With Darius Garland Before The Trade

After a few days of speculation, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a shocking trade on Tuesday, officially dealing point guard Darius Garland to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for James Harden, the veteran, proven superstar. On paper, this could be seen as a major upgrade for the Cavaliers, and with a team that's ready to compete for an NBA Championship, it's a move that they believe makes them much, much better, increasing their chances in a wide open Eastern Conference. 

Over the past three seasons, the Cavaliers have struggled to make it past the second round of the post-season, and with a long run in mind, they were happy to make this deal. While Harden isn't exactly a proven playoff performer, there was another reason they made this deal, as the team were reportedly frustrated in Garland's lack of health in the past few years.

"There's a sense that he wasn't doing everything possible to prevent injury."

In his career with Cleveland, Garland played in more than 70 games on just one occasion, and after playing in just 5 playoff games a year ago, making it very easy to see why the Cavaliers became frustrated with their long-time guard in recent years. 

Only time will tell whether or not adding Harden will end up being the right move for the Cavaliers, but with the team needing to be healthy in the post-season for once, moving on from Garland is the move they believed they needed to make.