What do the Cleveland Cavaliers need to do this summer to set themselves up for an NBA Finals berth in 2026?
For FOX Sports’ beloved analyst John Fanta, the answer is simple.
“Get a better fit (alongside) Donovan Mitchell,” Fanta said on The Kevin O’Conner Show, referring to his suggestion that Cleveland should trade Darius Garland.
“(Garland’s) a good player … and he’s coming off of the best regular season, the most complete regular season of his career,” Fanta told O’Connor.
“And he’s still relatively young. So I’m not coming on your show to sit here and start ripping Darius Garland apart. I think he’s done some very good things in Cleveland. He is 25. But things have run their course. I don’t know how much else you have to see of Mitchell and Garland in the playoffs.”
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“And you could sit here and say, yeah, but you know, 64 wins,” Fanta continued. “I mean, look at the season they just had. How could you sit here and say that it’s not working? Because the playoffs are a different monster.”
“What do the Cavs need? First off, they need a whole hell of a lot more toughness. I mean, these teams that have knocked them out in the playoffs have taken their manhood. They have not been tough enough; they have not been resilient enough; they haven’t punched back.”
“Garland and Mitchell require the ball to have success … (that) doesn’t work, because you’re always going to have Mitchell with the basketball. … It’s not working right now between these two players in the postseason.”
Fanta’s suggestion may very well come to pass, with Garland already being linked to suitors like the Brooklyn Nets.
The two-time All-Star is entering year three of a five-year, $197.2 million deal.
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