'I don’t want to be traded,' Cleveland Cavs G Darius Garland proclaims in report

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland broke his postseason silence this weekend in Las Vegas, according to a report .

It sure sounds like the Cavs will be running it back this upcoming season after rumors surfaced that Garland would want to be traded if backcourt mate Donovan Mitchell signed an extension with the team.

“I don’t want to be traded,” Garland said. “Those are just rumors.”

Those words sound fairly definitive on Garland’s end, especially given that perception throughout the league was that he and Mitchell could not co-exist, professionally speaking, in the same backcourt.

Garland, who suffered a broken jaw that sidelined him for a significant part of the season, struggled after he returned in January, never really finding his groove again. Garland was expected to elevate the Cavs' status in the postseason, but injuries took their toll. The eventual champion Boston Celtics unceremoniously bounced the Cavaliers in five games in the second round of the playoffs, leading to the dismissal of coach J.B. Bickerstaff .

The team eventually hired Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson .

With Bickerstaff’s departure came rumors of other possible moves — such as trading center Jarrett Allen — that have not been substantiated. Atkinson will receive the opportunity to get the team’s core four to the next level.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'I don’t want to be traded,' Cleveland Cavs G Darius Garland proclaims in report