The Los Angeles Clippers are set to enter a new era once Kawhi Leonard‘s trade to the Toronto Raptors becomes official.
With Leonard on his way out, the Clippers are going to build around players like Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram, Keaton Wagler, Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Rui Hachimura, among others.
Garland and Ingram are two solid All-Star players, though the point guard has been plagued by a toe injury over the past year or so.
Darius Garland Gives Clippers Good Injury News
GettyDarius Garland #10 of the Los Angeles Clippers reacts to being called for a foul during the first half of a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Intuit Dome on March 11, 2026 in Inglewood, California.
Speaking to Cyro Asseo of HoopsHype, Darius Garland opened up about his toe injury that started in March 2025. Garland revealed that he had torn ligaments on his left big toe and didn’t feel fully healthy the entire 2025-26 season.
“It started off as like a bone bruise at first, like, just kept stubbing my toe in the front of my shoe,” Garland said. “And then me thinking it’s just a toe, I could just play on it. It just got worse. So I had like some torn ligaments and stuff like that. So I just had to get that reconstructed. But I’m all good now.”
The two-time All-Star added, “The second half of the year, I had all 10 toes. And I felt really good. I felt like I was getting back to normal. But now, having a full summer, having a full offseason back to 100 percent. It was a mental fog most of the time.”
Garland re-aggravated his left toe injury in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs against the Miami Heat. He ended up missing the first two games of their second-round matchup versus the Indiana Pacers. The then-top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated in six games.
The 26-year-old guard underwent offseason surgery, which caused him to miss a few games at the start of the campaign. He re-aggravated it again in November, though it wasn’t serious enough to lead to another surgery.
To make matters worse, Garland injured his right toe in January. He was on the sidelines when the Cavs traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers at the deadline in exchange for James Harden.
Darius Garland Last Season
GettyDarius Garland #10 of the Los Angeles Clippers shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on March 02, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
In 45 games last season, Darius Garland averaged 18.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.0 steal for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers with shooting splits of 46/40/86.
Garland was slightly better for the Clippers, shooting more efficiently from the field and 3-point range. It was likely due to adjusting to his surgically repaired toe, as well as the mental toll of his recovery.
Nevertheless, Garland is excited for his first full season with the Clippers. He even wants to emulate Kyrie Irving, whom Clippers coach Ty Lue is familiar with.
Los Angeles Clippers Get Good Darius Garland Injury News