Newly acquired LA Clippers point guard Darius Garland will not make his team debut until March as the organization manages soreness in his surgically repaired left great toe, league sources told The Athletic. The delay extends Garland’s absence as the Clippers prioritize his long-term health.
Garland, acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 4 alongside a 2026 second-round pick in exchange for James Harden, has been a limited participant in practice. He will miss this week’s back-to-back games against the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, with a league source indicating he will likely be sidelined for several additional weeks.
The 26-year-old has endured a difficult season physically. After appearing in a career-high 75 games and earning his second All-Star selection in 2024-25, Garland sprained his left great toe during the playoffs. He missed four postseason games before returning for the final three contests of Cleveland’s Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Garland underwent surgery on the toe in June with a four-to-five-month recovery timeline. He missed the first seven games of the 2025-26 season before debuting November 5 against Philadelphia. Five days later, he reaggravated the same toe in Miami, missing another five games over 11 days due to a contusion.
He then played 18 consecutive games before suffering a Grade 1 sprain of his right toe on January 14 in Philadelphia and has not appeared since.
“Recovery is going good,” Garland said during his first Clippers media availability on February 4. “I’m back on the court, working out, doing all the things I love to do. Just waiting on the green light.”
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank acknowledged February 9 that Garland still had soreness in the surgically repaired left toe and emphasized the team would “manage this correctly.”
“We are not gonna skip any steps,” Frank said. “We think the short-term investment will lead to long-term rewards.”
The Clippers enter the final stretch at 26-28, sitting 10th in the Western Conference with 28 games remaining. Since December 20, LA is 20-7, fueled by Kawhi Leonard averaging 30 points per game during that span, third in the NBA.
Kris Dunn will continue starting at point guard in Garland’s absence alongside Derrick Jones Jr., Leonard, John Collins, and Brook Lopez.