The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have the best version of Darius Garland in the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
He struggled with a toe injury to close out the regular season and missed some time in the postseason until the team needed him to extend their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers.
There were mixed reports about whether the Cavs would consider trading Garland after yet another disappointing postseason performance, but now that he’s had surgery and might miss some time next season, his value may be falling.
NBA analyst Ryan Tyler recently revealed how Garland’s recovery timeline may affect trade talks.
“It was a little bit strange because I believe the initial wording was that Darius Garland would be ready to go tip-off Game 1 of next season, but the timeline doesn’t quite add up. I saw something along the lines of potentially him missing maybe 10-ish games to start the season. What does that mean for the Cavaliers? I don’t know if the Cavaliers were really going to shop Darius Garland, but now this certainly restricts the potential buyers for Darius Garland, knowing that he’s going to be missing a decent-sized portion to begin the season next year,” Tyler said, via “The Bruce Drennan Show.”
Does Darius Garland's injury take him out of trade talks? #LetEmKnow
"Now this certaintly restricts the potential buyers for Darius Garland."
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— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) June 15, 2025
Garland is a very good player.
He’s an efficient three-level scorer with a strong court vision and playmaking skills.
However, he’s struggled to stay on the court, constantly dealing with injuries.
Those issues date back to his days in college, and that always seems to be the case at the end of the NBA season.
He also has a long history of struggles in the postseason, especially in elimination games.
The Cavs shouldn’t be in a rush or desperate to trade him by any means, but they should at least consider moving him at the right price.
Unfortunately, given this injury and the way he performed down the stretch, the possible return might not be that high right now.
NEXT: Insider Reveals What Type Of Players Cavs Are Looking For
