What Happened to Darius Garland? Injury Severity, Return Timeline, Trade Implications for Cavs Detailed

Let’s face it—when the Cleveland Cavaliers were cruising to 64 wins this past season, it looked like the LeBron-less era finally had its poster boy. Enter Darius Garland: smooth, steady, and just enough flash to get your popcorn ready. But then came The Great Toe Incident of 2025, and suddenly, Cleveland’s playoff hopes fell faster than Ben Simmons in a free-throw contest.

So, what exactly happened to Garland? Why is everyone talking about a “great toe” like it’s some sort of medieval knight? And what does this mean for the Cavaliers’ offseason chessboard? Strap in, folks. We’re breaking it all down—minus the medical jargon and with plenty of basketball brain food.

First off, yes—great toe. Apparently, Garland doesn’t just have a big toe like the rest of us mere mortals. His is great. The royal kind. And this majestic toe has wreaked absolute havoc on the Cavaliers’ postseason. Here’s the deal: Darius Garland sprained his left “great” toe during the regular season on March 23. He then aggravated it on April 23 in Game 2 of the first-round sweep against the Miami Heat. By the time the Pacers were steamrolling through the Eastern Conference Semifinals, Garland was hobbling around like he’d just stepped on LEGO bricks.

Despite trying to gut it out in the final three games of the Pacers series, Garland just wasn’t himself. He averaged 14 points on 34.2% shooting—basically falling off harder than James Harden in a playoff elimination game.

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

Realizing enough was enough, Garland underwent surgery on June 9, performed by Dr. Nicholas Strasser at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, with team doctors Dr. James Rosneck and Dr. Bob Anderson also weighing in. The team now expects Garland to miss 4–5 months, which means his return could be as late as the start of training camp in September—if everything goes perfectly.

Now, Garland didn’t hide behind press releases. Post-elimination, he told reporters, “I definitely wasn’t myself out there. It was pretty uncomfortable… but I’m trying to win a series, trying to win the games.”

He revealed he was playing with a steel plate and a spacer between his toes. Look, if you’ve ever worn toe spacers in a pedicure, you already know that stuff’s annoying just sitting down. Now imagine doing that while running pick-and-rolls against Andrew Nembhard. Brutal. He clapped back at critics, too: “A lot of y’all don’t know what I was going through physically… probably wouldn’t even go out there and play. But I did. For my teammates.” Translation: Say what you want—he was in the trenches. You can question the stats, but not the heart.

Trade Implications: To Move or Not to Move?

Now, let’s address the elephant in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse—what does this mean for Cleveland’s future?

Cavs fans have been whispering trade scenarios. However, according to several reports, including those from Bleacher Report and Heavy.com, the Cavaliers have little to no interest in trading Garland right now. Brian Windhorst did say the magic phrase—“under the right circumstances”—but no real conversations have developed. And honestly, Garland’s value isn’t exactly soaring right now. You try trading a 6’1″ All-Star point guard with a fresh toe surgery and four months of downtime. It’s like putting Ben Wallace in a 3-point contest and expecting someone to bet on him.

Plus, Cleveland’s front office is cautious. They’re already operating close to the second tax apron, which means even moving smaller contracts takes spreadsheet wizardry. If they dealt Garland now, they’d be selling low, which is basically like trading a mint-condition rookie LeBron card for a used Corey Brewer jersey. No thanks.

With Garland temporarily out, the Cavaliers are expected to make minor tweaks to their backcourt. Ty Jerome, who just enjoyed the best year of his career (and is probably still telling people about it), is a potential re-signing candidate. He offers shooting, experience, and—let’s be honest—a warm body who can dribble.

But is Jerome the long-term answer? That is not the case unless the Cavs plan on recreating the 2014 Suns backcourt strategy: three-point guards and vibes. The problem is, even though Donovan Mitchell can run the offense, asking him to carry the load full-time feels like asking Tim Duncan to drop 40 in 2025. It’s just not realistic. Expect Cleveland to explore stopgap solutions—think bench-level guards with veteran presence and, hopefully, functioning big toes.

Nov 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) throws a pass in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images

Let’s not forget that the Cavaliers were rolling during the regular season. Garland’s 20.6 points per game, 6.7 assists, and 47.2% shooting were instrumental to their success. When healthy, he’s the guy who makes the Cavs offense hum smoother than an Andre Miller entry pass. But without Garland—and with Mitchell’s own contract future murky—the Cavs are now navigating a dangerous maze of luxury tax pitfalls, injury rehab timelines, and “do we go all-in or blow it up?” debates. They’ve already been through the JR Smith years. Nobody wants to go back to that emotional state.

And if you’re still asking why the toe drama matters, here’s the answer: basketball is a game of inches. One sore foot, one misstep, and your playoff dreams vanish faster than DeMar DeRozan in crunch time. And yes, for those wondering, “great toe” is a real medical term. It just happens to sound like something you’d hear in a Shakespeare play. “Oh dear, my liege! The great toe hath betrayed thee!”

The reason we’re all laughing about it is because Shams Charania used it straight-faced in his tweet. Most NBA fans, myself included, thought it was a typo. But nope—Garland’s agent probably wanted it that way. Makes it sound more serious, more… elite. Because if Darius Garland has a “big toe” like the rest of us, well, that’s just too boring. But a great toe? That’s headline material.

So, here’s where we land: Darius Garland is out for 4–5 months, recovering from surgery on his extremely noble toe. The Cavaliers hope to have him back by training camp, but even that comes with uncertainty. In the meantime, the team’s front office is juggling salary caps, backcourt rotations, and whether Ty Jerome can pull off a semi-permanent glow-up.

Garland’s absence may not have completely derailed the Cavs’ future, but it’s definitely made things more complicated. With the 2025-26 season fast approaching, Cleveland has just a few short months to figure it all out—or risk watching another promising campaign collapse like Paul George in a Game 7.

Let’s hope that toe’s not just great, but healed.

The post What Happened to Darius Garland? Injury Severity, Return Timeline, Trade Implications for Cavs Detailed appeared first on EssentiallySports.