When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Donovan Mitchell in 2022 and formed the backcourt duo of him and Darius Garland, everyone tried to break them up. From the narrative that small guards can’t win championships to the media reporting rumors of discontent between the two players, Garland and Mitchell were always fighting an uphill battle during their tenure.
Whenever the Cavs came up short, the calls for breaking up the duo only got louder. Even Garland’s agent, Rich Paul, openly said on his podcast with Max Kellerman that he told the All-Star point guard that this would be his last year in Cleveland.