It looks like Darius Garland will take longer than expected to recover and complete his rehabilitation following an unexpected toe injury. Although the Cleveland Cavaliers finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference, they stunned the NBA world by losing to Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs.
As a result, Garland and several others who underperformed in this series are now on the trading block and could be moved at any given point in time. However, a recent report on his current injury status and progress might change any plans that the Cavs had with regard to trading him.
Darius Garland Will Miss 4 to 5 Months After Toe Surgery
Although it would be unfair to blame any one player for the Cavs’ inability to make it past the second round of the playoffs for two years in a row, Garland being injured throughout the series undoubtedly played a huge role in the team’s loss to the Pacers.
Thus, Garland and a few other members of the Cavs were considered potential trade options in order for the team to upgrade the roster. However, Shams Charania reported that his toe surgery might just lead to the Cavs star missing the start of next season.
“Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland underwent surgery to repair great toe injury and will be sidelined approximately 4 to 5 months.”
The report comes on the heels of an official statement from the Cavaliers on June 9, saying that Garland was “expected to make a full recovery and resume basketball activities by the start of training camp.”
Cleveland Cavaliers star Darius Garland underwent surgery to repair great toe injury and will be sidelined approximately 4 to 5 months. pic.twitter.com/rk7RH912tF
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 9, 2025
If Garland is going to miss several months of basketball, there is no denying that his value on the trade market will go down significantly. Therefore, the Cavaliers might just consider holding off on a potential trade in order to maximize the value that they could get in return by trading him away.
Although Garland was not at full strength in the series against the Pacers, the fact remains that he is a valuable member of the Cavaliers and arguably their second-best player behind Donovan Mitchell. After all, he averaged a solid 20.6 points and 6.7 assists this season.
At this point in time, the Cavaliers’ organization has a serious decision to make. Between waiting for Garland to return healthy just to trade him and believing that having him healthy and at full strength makes them title contenders, there is really no way to know what the right decision will be. Hopefully, fans will have a clearer picture of this subject before next season begins.
