Report: Darius Garland expected to miss 4-5 months after undergoing surgery

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is expected to miss approximately four to five months after undergoing surgery to repair a great toe injury, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Garland was sidelined for part of the Cavs’ playoff run with a toe injury, missing Games 3 and 4 of the first round against the Miami Heat and Games 1 and 2 of the second-round matchup with the Indiana Pacers.

While it’s a good sign that Garland is getting the surgery to repair his injury now, it does put into question his status for the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. If Garland were to miss five months, it means he would return in November, which would likely be shortly after the start of the 2025-26 campaign.

The 2024-25 NBA season began on Oct. 22 of last year.

Cavs fans have to admire Garland’s willingness to play through his toe injury against the Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. While Cleveland ended up losing the series in five games, Garland still suited up in three of them, even though he was dealing with what appears to be a pretty significant injury.

In the 2025 NBA Playoffs, Garland averaged 18.0 points, 2.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game across five contests. He shot 42.0 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Garland’s surgery could have an impact on the Cavs’ offseason plans as well. Cleveland has a key free agent that it needs to re-sign in backup guard Ty Jerome, and it could be more inclined to re-sign him if Garland is set to miss any time next season.

Jerome did a solid job filling in for Garland during the 2024-25 regular season, averaging 22.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds in six games without him.

The Cavs are certainly hoping that Garland can make a full recovery to help them chase a top spot in the East in the 2025-26 season. Cleveland was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in the 2024-25 campaign, winning 64 games during the regular season.

Garland finished the regular season averaging 20.6 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game in 75 games played. He shot 47.2 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from 3, earning the second All-Star nod of his NBA career.