In spite of rampant speculation that suggested otherwise earlier in the offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers ultimately decided to hold on to Darius Garland.

Many questioned if Garland would be able to co-exist with Donovan Mitchell moving forward, and there were even rumblings that Garland wanted a trade from the Cavaliers.

However, Cleveland has decided to move forward with the 24-year-old.

But was that the wisest decision?

Michael Saenz of Sir Charles In Charge doesn’t think so.

In a recent piece, Saenz predicted that the Cavs will end up regretting not trading Garland when they had the chance.

“Trading Garland for pieces that fit this roster better next to Mitchell is not a bad thing,” Saenz wrote. “In fact, it could go a long way in unlocking this team’s potential moving forward. I believe it was a misstep from the franchise to not do that this past summer.”

Saenz said that he likes Garland as a player, but is not so sure about the Mitchell-Garland tandem over the long haul.

Many share the same sentiment as Saenz.

It’s important to note, however, that in Mitchell’s first season with the Cavaliers in 2022-23, Garland averaged 21.6 points per game and enjoyed the most efficient campaign of his career.

Last season, Garland missed considerable time due to a broken jaw that caused him to lose a hefty amount of weight. That certainly played a role in the Vanderbilt product registering just 18 points per game on rather modest 44.6/37.1/83.4 shooting splits.

We’ll see if Garland can bounce back this coming season, or if he will merely validate the opinions of the doubters.