The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without one of their best players to start next season.
Darius Garland had surgery to address his toe injury, and though the team initially stated that he would be ready for training camp, recent reports say otherwise.
That’s why analyst Matt Fontana recently called out the Cavs, stating that this is a worrisome and constant trend with them.
“I’m really starting to believe the Cavs are not good about how they handle injuries. Not just like, to bring guys in, but the ‘Oh, he’ll resume basketball activity sometime in training camp.’ Okay, we’re all going to read that and think he’s ready to go for training camp, and then Shams [Charania] comes out and goes, ‘He’s going to miss the start of the season.’ Just say four to five months of recovery, and we’ll update as ready to go, and I’m sure they’ll ask you, ‘Is he going to be ready for training camp?’ We’ll go, ‘We’ll update you when we have an update,'” Fontana said.
The Darius Garland report raises serious questions—are the Cavs mishandling injuries and transparency?
"I'm starting to believe the Cavs are not good about how they handling injuries."
–@MattFontana83 pic.twitter.com/qwW9CRx5IY
— Matt Fontana Show (@MattFontanaShow) June 15, 2025
The Cavs didn’t get the best version of Garland in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
They had to play without him for a handful of games, and while that wasn’t an issue in the first round against the Miami Heat, it was a major problem in the second round against the Indiana Pacers.
Garland has struggled to stay on the court since he entered the NBA, and while the Cavs have shown they can win without him, they are a better team when he’s playing.
The Cavs might have considered trading him this offseason, had he been healthy.
Now, after another disappointing postseason performance and amid an injury recovery, it’s hard to believe they will be able to get something close to an equal return in any potential trade.
A couple of weeks ago, the chances of the Cavs moving on from the two-time All-Star seemed slim.
Now, in the wake of his injury timeline, they might be close to zero.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals How Darius Garland's Injury Affects Trade Talks
