The Clippers' young point guard almost ended up in San Antonio before things shifted.
Before Darius Garland became the face of a new direction for the Los Angeles Clippers, he was almost headed somewhere else entirely.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul recently revealed on the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman that Garland was the guard he originally envisioned in San Antonio, not De'Aaron Fox, and that Garland was growing increasingly frustrated in Cleveland at the time.
Paul Lays Out What Almost Happened
"At first it wasn't De'Aaron, it was another guard that I represent that I was envisioning going there, because De'Aaron wasn't wanting to be traded yet," Paul said.
"It was Darius Garland. He was flustered, he was frustrated and he wanted to get out. And the Spurs before they got the 2nd pick, they needed a point guard. And I thought next to Wemby, with shooting and all that. And then things changed and he was fine."
The fit would have made sense.
Garland's shooting and playmaking projected well next to Victor Wembanyama, and the Spurs badly needed a lead guard at the time.
But once the Kings fired head coach Mike Brown and Fox became open to a move, the picture shifted and Garland's path eventually went through the Los Angeles Clippers instead.
What the Clippers Got in the Deal
On February 4, the Clippers sent James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Garland and a 2026 second-round pick.
Harden was averaging 25.4 points and 8.1 assists, but the front office did not want to invest long-term money in a player turning 37 in August.
Clippers president Lawrence Frank said the team was "trying to get younger while continuing to win" and called Garland someone who allows them to do both.
That same deadline also saw Ivica Zubac shipped to Indiana for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks and a second-round pick, with one of those firsts becoming the fifth overall selection in this year's draft.
Why Garland Could Be the Foundation
After arriving in Los Angeles, Garland averaged 19.9 points on 47.1 percent shooting and 43.8 percent from three in 19 games with the Clippers.
Those numbers climbed from what he posted earlier in the year with Cleveland, and he looked more comfortable as the weeks went on.
Paired with Kawhi Leonard, who put up a career-high 27.9 points per game this season, the Clippers showed flashes of what this pairing could become when healthy.
The team finished 42-40 and was eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the play-in, but the record only tells part of the story.
The Clippers started 6-21 and still managed to get above .500, becoming the first team in NBA history to do so after falling 15 games below it.
Garland is just 26 with two years and roughly $87 million left on his deal, and with the fifth overall pick now in hand, the front office has a real shot at building around him for the long haul.
He did not end up in San Antonio, but the Clippers are betting he landed exactly where he was supposed to.
