Donovan Mitchell, Cavs close chapter with Darius Garland: ‘Forever our brother’

As the clock hit zero, Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers walked across half-court and lined up in a single-file line. On the Los Angeles Clippers bench was Darius Garland, smiles and all, waiting to close a chapter with one final embrace as teammates, friends, and family surrounded. Under the lights with the welcome wagon at Intuit Dome, it was goodbye for Garland and the Cavs.

“We were out there, I talked to him, came in here, we talked to him. That’s still our brother,” Mitchell said postgame on Wednesday. “This is just the business side of it. We dealt with it last year with Caris and Georges and now DG, but it’s bigger than just basketball. This is the brotherhood.

“For him to be able to watch us, for him to be able to come out there and talk to us and chop it up speaks to the connectivity we had here. That’s a guy who will forever be our brother.”

To a man, Cleveland’s roster, from players to coaches, walked over to send best wishes to Garland, his family, and his circle.

“I have the utmost respect for all of those guys over there in that organization,” Garland said at his introductory press conference with the Clippers. “I’ve got a lot of love for everybody over there. But basketball is a business, and that’s part of it.

“Seven years was a really long time, and it was great, and I’m glad I’m here now. It’s a new journey, the next chapter in my book. See where it’s going to take me.”

Following Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman’s statement on Wednesday, team chairman Dan Gilbert offered a similar parting message on X.

“Seven years ago, a young leader arrived in Cleveland,” Gilbert posted. “Since then, [Garland] grew into a two-time All-Star and a cornerstone of the [Cavs] return to relevance. His heart, growth, and leadership gave this city unforgettable moments that will always matter. Thank you, Darius. Best of luck to you in the rest of your career in this league.”

“Took a leap of faith drafting me fifth over five games of college basketball,” Garland said. “They really took a leap of faith drafting me, so I really appreciate them for everything. Cleveland was great to me and my family.”

In just one-and-a-half years with him, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson already considers Garland “one of my favorites ever.”

“I’m a point guard at heart. A little point guard at heart,” Atkinson explained. “So you have an affinity for those guys. We had a special connection. I really respected how he played the game as a pure point guard who could get you 30 on a given night. Loved his passing. And I loved the person.

“We just clicked. You click with certain players; we clicked right away. I’ll never forget last season. You could argue he was the guy, end of games, that was taking over for us and winning. He won a ton of games for us, was an All-Star. I just will always be close to him.”

On the bus ride over to the arena, Atkinson knew that it would be weird. When the ball was tipped, the competition began, and the Cavs handled their business. Then, postgame, that strange feeling came back.

“I still have emotions. I’m still attached to the person and the player,” Atkinson said after Cleveland’s blowout victory. “I just saw him in the hallway as I came to the press conference. That’s the part I don’t feel great about. You can’t. I love that we’re getting James Harden. We made some tweaks, and we’re trying to get better, but I have a soft spot in my heart for him. Love him as a player, love him as a person. I hope I get to coach him again at some point.”

“It’s been a lot,” Mitchell said. “It’s felt like we haven’t played like forever, to be honest. It’s just so much that’s gone on. For us as a group, the fact that we came out here and did what we did was impressive.”

Darius Garland, Cavs have no hard feelings

Each side ultimately understands that going their separate ways isn’t personal.

“This is nothing against a DG or a Dre [Hunter] or nothing like that; this is just part of it,” said Mitchell, who is thrilled for Garland to work with Ty Lue and Kawhi Leonard’s championship pedigree. “Sometimes the front office makes moves, and now it’s on us to execute. We weren’t able to get it done for the past three years, and now our goal is to try to get it done now. That’s the biggest goal. I think everybody in this locker room understands that.

“I have no doubt what he’ll bring here to LA; it’s gonna be really positive. This is bigger than just basketball. I have no doubt he’ll have a lot of success here. People don’t notice him ’cause they don’t watch Cleveland as much, but that progression, even before I got here, that just shows the level that he is [at]. He’ll do a lot of big things here. Clipper Nation should be excited.”

Of course, Atkinson shares the same sentiment about Garland.

“He pushes the pace. He sets the pace. He sets the tone on how your group gets to offense. He’s really a pure point guard,” Atkinson said. “I’m sure that’s what Ty loves about him. He’s really a way underrated passer. He’s in the lane all the time, can pass with both hands, knows how to feed bigs. Obviously, you’ve got Kawhi here, but he’ll be the head of the snake in terms of pure point guard play.

Admitting that he knew a trade was coming, Garland isn’t shocked over it. Still, this is the first time he’s gone through the process.

“Last 48 hours has been crazy,” Garland said. “The trade happened, and I was already here, so it wasn’t that big of a move. It was pretty easy for me. Just switched hotels, basically (laughs). That was pretty easy. Getting to the facility, coming to the arena, being around everybody, meeting new faces, meeting new people, it’s super cool. I few like the new kid at school, so just try to get acclimated and get kinda comfortable.

“Just getting to know everybody. Seeing some of my guys here that I see a lot during the workouts during the summertime, just being here, having my time here. So I’m super excited [about] being here, super excited about being with the team. It’s a beautiful arena. New energy, new crowd. I’m super excited.”

Garland turns the page on his Cavs days with the respect and admiration of everybody in the organization.

“My relationship with Darius, it’s kind of a tough day,” Atkinson said. “But the positive is he’s coming to the Clippers, and he’s gonna be with Ty. So I expect him to be great here, and I’m rooting for him. Got a great coaching staff, darn good organization. He’s gonna be in a really good place here.”

“They said, statistically, he was the worst basketball player in the NBA [as a rookie] — statistically,” Mitchell added, ensuring his words don’t get twisted. “To go from that to being an All-Star… He comes into the league not playing many college games because he got hurt. You get thrown into the league in a situation that’s not necessarily a winning situation. For the mental for him to come in and now he turns into a two-time All-Star, turns into a guy who’s averaging 20 and 8, that speaks to him. He’s gonna do phenomenal things here.”

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