Darius Garland likely won’t play in summer league

Darius Garland’s first on-court appearance for the Cavs will have to wait.

As reported by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Garland is unlikely to play in summer league for the Cavs due to the meniscus tear he suffered last November while at Vanderbilt. Garland is healthy — Fear the Sword spoke to Garland’s high school coach, Hubie Smith, on Thursday and Smith said Garland was “100%” — but the plan is to not have him push it.

Per cleveland.com, Garland will be with the team starting next week when it travels to Salt Lake City ahead of that summer league. Cleveland is playing in Salt Lake from July 1-3 and then in Las Vegas starting July 5. The Cavs’ summer league roster has not been fully set yet.

It’s a bummer to not have Garland playing this summer, but there’s logic to it. And at the very least, one of the team’s other picks — Dylan Windler — will play, as will two-way player Dean Wade and a few other signings. Kevin Porter Jr.’s status is unclear, as the Cavs’ acquisition of the 30th overall pick from the Pistons is not yet completed and has to be before Porter Jr. can be officially announced as a Cavalier.