While Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is in rampant trade rumors, the latest news from Monday is that he had surgery to repair a great toe injury. With the trade rumors around the Cavs guard likely to continue, the question of whether Garland will be good to go by training camp has been answered by the team.
On Cleveland’s official X, formerly Twitter, account, the team released a statement about the surgery Garland underwent and the timetable of the recovery process. The team would write that the surgery was “successful,” and that it will be four to five months for recovery, where it is “expected” that he will be 100 percent to go for training camp.
“Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland underwent successful surgery today to repair his great toe injury,” the team wrote. “The procedure was performed by Dr. Nicholas Strasser at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, in consultation with Cavaliers team doctor, Dr. James Rosneck (Cleveland Clinic Sports Medicine), and Dr. Bob Anderson (OrthoCarolina).”
“His status will be updated as appropriate, following a progression of treatment and rehabilitation in approximately 4-5 months,” the team continued. “Garland is expected to make a full recovery and resume basketball activities by the start of training camp.”
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Despite the trade rumors, the Cavs are behind Darius Garland
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith (23) during the first quarter of game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
As the rumors around the Cavs wanting to trade Garland have been up and down, there is no denying that the team sees the point guard as a valuable asset that could be part of their championship puzzle. He would have another productive season, but injuries pained his playoff performances.
However, he has the support of team president Koby Altman, who spoke highly of him at his end-of-season press conference.
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“We can dispel the notion that Darius and Donovan can’t play together,” Altman said. “I do think there’s a level Darius can get to that he hasn’t tapped into yet. His next step is going to be, ‘How do I get stronger?’ There’s a level he has to get to from a body standpoint, and that’s on all of us.”
Despite the rumors, ClutchPoints’ NBA insider reported that Cleveland is looking to run it back with the foundation of Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and others.
“The idea of sacrificing youth isn’t something that fits Cleveland’s agenda,” Siegel wrote. “Mobley and Garland are two players they believe in, and Allen is one of the positive leaders of the team. He is the guy who keeps everyone’s spirits high and has really helped build the internal brotherhood that exists.”
At any rate, the Cavs look to build off this past season, where they had a 64-18 record, which put them first in the East, though they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the semifinals.