Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates after making a three-point basket. David Richard-Imagn Images

Cleveland Cavaliers must be careful with $193 million All-Star

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 10:54 AM ET

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland is going into the season recovering from toe surgery over the summer.

The injury hampered Garland at the end of the regular season and it only worsened as time wore on. Garland's recovery from the injury should have the Cavs in a better position in the long run.

"A superior season in which Garland returned to the All-Star team after two years away took an unfortunate turn when he suffered a nasty toe sprain late and then reaggravated it in the first round of the playoffs. He was basically playing on one foot after that," ESPN insider Brian Windhorst wrote.

"It showed in his performance, and it will linger into this year after offseason surgery. But there's a lot to like about how he found comfort in a different role under coach Kenny Atkinson, who built sections of the game around him away from Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. There was a time when Garland's future in Cleveland looked uncertain. For now, that question has been answered."

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Garland could miss start of season

Garland only played in five of Cleveland's nine playoff games last spring, missing the first two of their series against the Indiana Pacers in which they lost at home.

If Garland was healthy for those games, a different song could have been sung for the Cavaliers. Instead, it led to a premature elimination from the postseason.

Garland opted for surgery a few weeks later, giving him the ability to fully heal during the offseason. That recovery process has led to the start of training camp, where he is expected to make a full recovery.

However, the Cavs may want to ease him back onto the court as the season begins. There's no reason to rush and re-aggravate the injury like the team did earlier this year.

Garland proved how important he was to Cleveland's puzzle last season, so it would be wise for the Cavs to proceed with caution when it comes to the injury.

While it would be ideal for the Cavs to have Garland back on Oct. 22 at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, the team would rather have him healthy for the long haul. If that means having him back 100 percent and ready to go, that should be a fair price the Cavs are willing to pay to keep their star point guard healthy.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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