The Los Angeles Clippers made a blockbuster trade at the NBA Trade Deadline which sent James Harden to Cleveland in return for Darius Garland.
A trade request that came out of nowhere by Harden after the Clips had been playing their best basketball of the season quickly changed the trajectory for L.A.'s franchise.
The Clips got significantly younger, and the 26-year-old Garland will try to help extend the Clippers' window with Kawhi Leonard.
However, Garland has yet to make his first appearance with the Clips. In fact, he hasn't played in a game since Jan. 14 as he heals from a toe injury. The toe has been bothering him for a while now as he had surgery on it during the offseason.
The Clippers (26-28) are comfortably slotted into the final spot of the play-in, but there's no doubt that they'd still like to make up some ground on the No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors (29-26).
Once Garland comes back, LA will have a dynamic playmaker and shooter to pair alongside Leonard. In 26 games this year, Garland is averaging 18.0 points and 6.9 assists while shooting 36% from three and 45.1% from the field.
When will Darius Garland return to the court?
Per Law Murray of The Athletic, Garland will "not return this week" after initially looking like that was a possibility before the All-Star break.
Garland is now considered "week-to-week" and could return from his injury sometime in March. Law reported that Garland "will likely miss a few weeks as the Clippers prioritize getting his left great toe fully healthy."
It's bad news for Clippers fans, but at least his toe issue should be fully resolved once he comes back.
