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Max Strus: "I definitely did change my offseason. After two seasons ago, we had an unfortunate exit in the playoffs, and I think all of our team was motivated to come back. I took that personal, like how can I be better, what can I do for the team? Last summer, I hit the ground running right away. I think I did a little bit too much. Is that why I got hurt? Maybe, maybe not. I don't know, I'm not going to play that game. I definitely took a different approach this summer and still motivated to come back stronger next year, put more skills in my game, but taking it easier on the body. I'm 30 years old now, getting old, so I got to take it down a little bit, change up the days, take a day off here and there when I'm feeling tired, not pushing through when I don't have to."
Max Strus: "I work my ass off. I'm going to be honest, I'm sorry to swear, but I work very hard, and I pride myself on that, that I'm like the hardest working person in the room, and it's probably a sick thing. I literally like look at other people and I'm like, nah, he didn't work harder than me today. I'm doing something right. I make sure I'm the first one there. I know that that's so cliché of like be the first one there and last one to leave, but I truly believe that. If you're there putting your best foot forward, you get there early, like I said, it's monotonous, like I do the same thing every day, I eat the same thing every day, I'm super boring, but I like love it. I like find the thrill in that, that I can be monotonous with everything and like continue to get better over time because I'm continuously like grinding and doing the same thing over and over again to like continue to put myself in a better position."
Heat Central: Max Strus on Bam Adebayo: “Me and Bam are tight. Bam’s awesome. That’s the last person I would want to mess with. Donovan Mitchell is a specimen but Bam Adebayo, holy sh*t. He’s a big dude.” (Via @PardonMyTake)
The five-team trade that led to the Cavs shaking up their roster is official. Peyton Watson and Cam Whitmore are in. Max Strus and Dennis Schröder — two key members of Cleveland’s Eastern Conference finals team — are out. The Cavaliers also sent an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a future second-rounder to Denver as part of the sign-and-trade deal for Watson, who became Cleveland’s top fallback option following a failed pursuit of LeBron James this summer. “Peyton is a young, talented player who we believe fits extremely well with the direction of our team,” said president of basketball operations Koby Altman. “His length, athleticism and defensive versatility give us the ability to play him across multiple positions and create more flexibility on both ends of the floor.”
Acquiring Watson was complicated, especially given his status as a restricted free agent and the salary cap situations of both Denver and Cleveland. As part of the agreement, Watson, who will wear No. 8 in Cleveland, is signing a four-year, $88 million contract that includes a player option and trade kicker. It took five teams to complete the deal — Cleveland, Charlotte, Denver, Washington and the Los Angeles Clippers. It also cost the Cavaliers two every-night rotational players in Strus and Schröder. “Over the past several seasons, Max became an important part of our team, our culture, and our identity,” Altman said of Strus. “His professionalism, toughness, competitiveness, and leadership helped shape the standard we have established here, and his impact went well beyond what he did on the court.”
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Chris Fedor: ‘Part of the reason why they moved on from Max Strus is because he was going to be a free agent at the end of this year. But it was also, this is a guy who has dealt with injuries in back-to-back seasons. At one point, we did replace him in the starting lineup with Dean Wade. Dean Wade's no longer here, but we could theoretically replace him again in the starting lineup, this time with Jaylon Tyson or something like that. So the point is, every player has a contract, and these front offices are looking at it saying, the value that you bring to our organization, does it match the contract that you have?’
Marc Stein: Reported on Sunday night that, according to one source briefed on the process, James Harden’s long-awaited new deal with the Cavaliers would be signed “soon-ish.” Cleveland can finally proceed with finalizing Harden’s pact after its Schröder/Strus/Watson five-teamer is official.
Yossi Gozlan: Cleveland Cavaliers salary cap situation with Peyton Watson. They could create a $16.7 million trade exception for Max Strus if they fold in the Dennis Schroder trade and absorb Tre Mann into the Lonzo Ball trade exception. The Cavs have no first-round picks left to trade.
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Shams Charania: BREAKING: Cleveland, Denver and the Clippers have agreed on a trade sending Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to LA, and an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Kings second-rounder to the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. Watson will sign a new four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers, plus a player option and a trade kicker.
After agreeing Friday to trade Schröder to Charlotte, Cleveland remains in active search of a trade to send out Max Strus as Strus enters the final year of his current contract at $16.7 million, league sources say.
League sources say Cleveland has been exploring various trade possibilities with both Schröder and Strus that would enable the Cavaliers — provided one or both of those salaries could be shed — to make a representative four-year offer to Peyton Watson. Schröder is scheduled to earn $14.8 million in 2026-27 and $15.5 million in 2027-28 ... with only $4.4 million guaranteed in the latter season. Strus holds an expiring $16.7 million contract for 2026-27 to complete a four-year, $63 million deal he originally signed with Miami.
Sources say the 23-year-old Kuminga wants an annual deal in the $15-20 million range, which would necessitate a sign-and-trade with Atlanta involving either swingman Max Strus or Dennis Schroder. The Hawks, already with 17 players on the roster and incredibly close to the luxury tax, would have to cooperate — and actually want what Cleveland, the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers or Milwaukee Bucks are willing to offer in a sign-and-trade.
