The Los Angeles Clippers traded James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland and a second-round pick on Feb. 4. Garland has yet to debut with his new squad due to injury, but that could change as soon as tonight.
Darius Garland Plans To Make Long-Awaited Los Angeles Clippers Debut
The Clippers acquired Garland, knowing he might be sidelined for some time. However, it appears the two-time All-Star is ready to make his return.
According to CBS Sports, Los Angeles’ star guard will make his Clippers debut on Monday, Feb. 4, against the Golden State Warriors on the road. Garland has not played since Jan. 14 due to left toe injury management and a right great toe sprain.
Garland averages 18.0 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 26 games for the 2025-26 season. He has spent most of the campaign on the sidelines because of multiple toe injuries. His unavailability became a major reason for the Cavaliers to make the big move.
The 26-year-old underwent surgery on his left great toe last June, forcing him to miss the first seven games of the season. He then sat out six of the next nine contests after a toe injury flare-up. Garland remained fairly healthy until Jan. 14, when he suffered a right great toe sprain. Both Cleveland and Los Angeles took a cautious approach with Garland due to his lengthy history of toe injuries.
The Clippers hope Garland becomes their franchise point guard for the foreseeable future. While he and Donovan Mitchell certainly had success on the Cavaliers, both star guards were at their best when they had the ball in their hands. When it came to size and skill set, Cleveland had an overlap in its starting backcourt.
In Los Angeles, Garland does not share the floor with another small, high-usage guard. He averaged a career-high 8.6 assists in his 2021-22 All-Star campaign- the season just before Cleveland traded for Mitchell. Garland never came close to reaching this mark again, but that could definitely change on the Clippers. It will be interesting to see his and Kawhi Leonard’s on-court chemistry over the season’s final 23 contests.
Clippers Sit Toward the Bottom of the Postseason Picture
Los Angeles owns a 28-31 record, good for the No. 9 seed in the Western Conference. The Clippers recovered from a disastrous 6-21 start to the campaign, but they want to surprise everyone with a playoff push. Los Angeles has no reason to tank for a higher draft pick because its first-round draft pick belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer.
Los Angeles traded its 2026 first-round selection unprotected to the Thunder in the Paul George-Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deal from 2019. The rest of the league certainly wants the Clippers to make the playoffs and fall out of the lottery to avoid giving the defending champions another high-value prospect.
