Darius Garland's Injury Status Raises Serious Questions About Clippers Trade

Did the Los Angeles Clippers make a mistake by trading James Harden for a player who is out during the crucial final stretch of the season?

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The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the NBA world at the trade deadline by moving James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. A rare player-for-player swap between two teams seemingly in win-now mode came as a surprise for many fans. Whether the Clippers or the Cavs initiated the deal, or if Harden himself pushed for the trade, remains unclear. However, getting a two-time All-Star point guard who is ten years younger than Harden wasn't seen as a loss for the Clippers.

That was until we had a better understanding of Garland's health status. Many were under the impression that the 26-year-old guard would return to action soon. Not only was the right toe sprain he was ruled out with in mid-January considered a minor injury, but he had also said that he was "waiting for the green light," and was "ready to hoop" upon joining the Clippers.

The Clippers have yet to give Garland that green light. In fact, The Athletic's Law Murray recently reported that Garland was week-to-week and is unlikely to make his Clippers debut before March. Rather than the right toe, the Clippers are concerned with Garland's left toe, for which he underwent offseason surgery after struggling with it in the 2025 playoffs.

How Much Did Clippers Know About Darius Garland's Injury Before Trading for Him?

The fact that he is out for injury management reasons for a surgery he underwent eight months ago is significantly more concerning than if he were out with a sprain or a muscle injury. An injury management designation and the Clippers saying that they want to make sure Garland feels right before taking the court suggest that there is a serious problem.

This raises questions about the Clippers' decision to trade for Garland. It could also explain why the Cavaliers were so willing to give up a 26-year-old All-Star point guard coming off his career season in 2024-25 for a 36-year-old Harden. Did the Clippers know the extent of Garland's injury before acquiring him? Did they not care since they know that they aren't going to be contenders this season anyway?

If the Clippers thought that they could still make noise this season, they likely wouldn't have traded for Garland while he is dealing with this injury. While it is understandable to have a focus on the future, the Clippers are risking wasting an all-time season from Kawhi Leonard.

By the time Garland makes his return in March and is ready to contribute, we will be entering the final month of the season. Whether that will be enough time to integrate a high-usage player into the offense remains to be seen, but one has to wonder if the Clippers made the right decision by trading for a player who may not make much of an impact this season.