Dennis Schroder is already gone, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are still looking to do some more selling.
The Cavaliers are making an “active” effort to trade away veteran forward Max Strus, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported this week. Strus is on an expiring contract and is set to make $16.7 million next season.
A career 37.0 percent three-point shooter, Strus has been with Cleveland for the last three NBA seasons. While he was once a go-to starting forward for the Cavaliers, Strus appeared in just 30 total games last year (regular season and playoffs) due to a Jones fracture in his left foot (with stats of 11.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game overall).
Cleveland did largely fine in Strus’ absence, finishing as a 52-win team and making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2018. The Cavaliers also saw fellow sharpshooter Sam Merrill emerge as a key rotation piece with his 42.1 percent success rate from three last season.
Strus does have somewhat of a notable resume otherwise though. Prior to signing with the Cavs, Strus was a major contributor for the Miami Heat during his time there from 2020-23. That included posting 12 different playoff games with double-digit scoring when Miami made it to the NBA Finals in 2023.
But Cleveland needs further roster flexibility with James Harden still unsigned and other free agent targets like Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga still lurking. The Cavaliers also recently signed an interesting former top-5 pick to play on the wing, so it sounds like Strus will be their latest odd man out.
