I simply don't agree with what people are saying here.
Of all the players on the Cavaliers roster outside of Sexton, it was pretty clear to me that KPJ was most likely to ascend into the superstar our team still very clearly lacks. It's a MASSIVE setback to lose a talent like that. I don't give a fuck where he was drafted. I personally saw him as a top 5 pick leading up to the draft, so where he was drafted should never factor into whether or not it sets us back. Getting him late in the draft only accelerated our timeline, now it certainly has been set back.
Some people are watching through wine and gold colored glasses, that much is very clear.
Just know that at this point, pretty much no NBA GM/exec sees Porter as even close to likely to having even an average/productive career. Most teams want nothing to do with him. Some team tried to get the Cavs to pay a 2nd to take his salary. He's extremely close to being out of the league completely or in the D league. The Cavs couldn't even get an actual 2nd rounder, they got one less than likely to convey.
There is nothing about his actual production at any level that says he was ever likely to ascend into superstardom. Garland certainly has shown much more than Porter and absolutely has a superstar ceiling.
I think you're looking at it through KPJ colored glasses.
He has a pretty game, a good physical profile, and has shown some big flashes of talent. I agree. But he has not shown one bit of the consistency, work ethic, or attitude required to even be a rotation player in the league much less a superstar.
In fact, he did nothing but hurt the team chemistry and drag people down this year. It's the opposite of a setback.
There's just so much more that goes into being a difference making player in this league than having a pretty stepback and a killer lefty crossover with good size and athleticism. NBA history is littered with guys just as talented as KPJ, if not more talented, ending up out of the league and broke within 5 years. That's exactly where KPJ is headed.
And respectfully, you and most of the board know only the tip of the iceberg as it relates to KPJ. There's dozens of other stories and incidents that I am not at liberty to go into details of...but the fact that he even made it into the season on the roster was amazing considering the way this kid acts.
If you're gonna act like an egomaniacal superstar as a 2nd year player despite catching criminal charges in the off-season, accused of violence against women, etc...I expect to pull up BB reference and see that you at least dominated in college or in your first year in the league. All he's really done even dating back to college is average 9-10 points on mediocre or worse efficiency, maybe has a handful of games where he looks great and flashes some intriguing abilities.
Just 0 evidence of a massive setback.