ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst has offered his takes on Cleveland Cavaliers free agency lately, naming wing free agent targets the Cavs might look to bring to the roster.
Among those names was Miami Heat forward Max Strus. Strus started in all 23 matchups for the Miami Heat in their postseason run, scoring 9.3 points per night with a 51.6 efficient field goal percentage.
Strus played the prototypical 3-and-D wing role for the Heat. His active defensive work led to a number of extra possessions for the Heat, a momentous reason for their historic run to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed.
Would the Heat let him walk away?
After losing in the NBA Finals to the Denver Nuggets, the Heat are entering free agency with over $170 million on their active roster cap sheet already, per Spotrac.
Last season, Max Strus played for under $2 million on a minimum contract. This offseason, Strus will easily command the majority, if not the entire, $12.4 million Mid-Level Exception in free agency.
With Miami already less than $7 million away from the dreaded new Super-Tax Apron, Strus might be available for competitors with a full MLE to offer.
The Cavaliers could be one of those teams, and offering Strus a starting role on a contending team would be a serious offer for the breakout wing.
How would Strus help the Cavaliers’ title hopes? He has shown plenty of promise and value, and he could end up the best free agent target for the Cavs this summer.
With that said, let’s examine three pros and two cons of the Cavaliers potentially signing Strus.
Pro No. 1: Floor spacing
Throughout his career, Strus has knocked down 37.1 percent of his six 3-point attempts per game. He has the ability to repeatedly punish poor defensive rotations. Roughly one fifth of Strus’ long range shots were wide open, and he connected on 42.9 percent of his attempts, according to NBA.com’s tracking data.
Adding a consistent shooter to the starting rotation in Cleveland is a tremendous upgrade to alleviate their stagnate offensive struggles. Strus is a steady catch-and-shoot threat, as well. Roughly 66 percent of Strus’ 3-point attempts came within two seconds of catching the ball. On those attempts, he drained 35.4 percent.
Placing Strus next to Darius Garland opens the Cavaliers offense immediately. Garland had the eighth-highest kickout passing rate when driving into the paint. With Strus on the receiving end, many of Cleveland’s frustrating offensive drawbacks would be alleviated.
By signing Max Strus, the Cavaliers would have three sharpshooters in their starting five, giving their frontcourt duo in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen more opportunities to back down defenders in the post. As it stands now, defenses tend to pack the paint against the Cavs without much fear of losing to a barrage of threes.
At 27 years old, Strus is also young enough to chase down an open spot on the court through constant off-ball action. The Cavaliers began utilizing off-ball screens more this season to find open shots for their lethal backcourt. The league saw Garland’s catch-and-shoot abilities skyrocket once he could depend on star guard Donovan Mitchell to set him up.
While the Cavs have little to no floor spacing with their bigs, they can draw up clever actions to make the most of the 6-foot-11 Mobley and 6-foot-9 Allen setting picks and creating chaos for opponents as Strus, Garland, and Mitchell find each other on the perimeter.
While Strus’ knockdown shooting is a definite plus for Cleveland, his performance against Denver might raise some concerned eyebrows.
Con No. 1: NBA Finals struggles
For much of the NBA Playoffs, Max Strus was crucial in Miami’s unfathomable success. In every series, the Heat were seemingly major underdogs, but they persevered thanks in no small way to Strus’ fantastic work ethic and play style.
Once the Heat found themselves against the eventual champions Nuggets, Strus’ productivity had a steep dropoff. In two of the five NBA Finals games, Strus finished with zero points and a severely negative plus-minus. In Game 3, Strus only scored three points, hitting only one of seven field goal attempts.
In order to win it all, the Cavaliers need players that step up when the lights are their brightest. The Cavs already showed their need for playoff experience in their embarrassing loss to the New York Knicks in Round One.
Strus had never reached the NBA Finals before then, and the Heat were up against the clear cut favorites. Realistically, Strus would likely perform better on a team more prepared for that environment. While the Heat earned their spot in the NBA Finals, the drastic difference in depth between the rosters became cataclysmic for Miami.
On the Cavaliers, Strus would not be looked to carry the team to victory as constant underdogs playing on the road. Though the Cavs struggled in the postseason, their work in the regular season secured just over 50 wins and home court advantage against New York.
Bringing Strus to the wine and gold would suggest that the Cavaliers believe his NBA Finals struggles were due to circumstance rather than personal ability. Looking at Strus’ success, it’s clear there’s a lot to like.
Regardless of one poor series, his cultural fit in Cleveland cannot be ignored.
Pro No. 2: Winning culture
Max Strus would not be joining the Cavaliers and leaving a broken team. If the Heat did not have as many hefty contracts on the books, his return to South Beach would be no question.
In the face of giants, the Heat overcame. At every step along the way, audiences and commentators could not help but praise Miami for their hard-nosed, no excuses culture as a team.
The Heat took numerous players who were undrafted or were seemingly forgotten by the league and elevated them to be star role players in Florida.
Max Strus’ rise came from perseverance and willingness to do what it takes. That sort of mindset is something that could save the Cavaliers in tough moments.
Cleveland was 10th in the league for clutch games, winning 53.3 percent of them, and went to overtime seven times last year. Though the Cavaliers won all of their overtime contests, the Cavs often found themselves in a bitter fight in the final quarter.
Max Strus could light a fire under the Cavaliers and insert an energy and will to win each night. He would be the oldest player in the starting five and the only one with NBA Finals experience, giving him the chance to be a cultural leader in Cleveland. Every young core is grateful for veteran perspectives. Max Strus has that.
Playing next to Jimmy Butler surely taught Strus how to win mentally and translate that onto the court. In both 2020 and now 2023, Butler’s Finals performances have astonished the viewer. Learning from a gritty player such as Butler would give Strus an edge of great benefit for the Cavaliers.
While Heat Culture can unlock a player’s potential, removing them from that system might hurt their productivity.
Con No. 2: Questionable Defense
Defensively, Max Strus is no slouch. Standing at 6-foot-5 with a nearly 6-foot-8 wingspan, Strus can hold his own against taller wings and most guards. Strus is not the quickest on his feet, though, occasionally losing his man off-ball and letting them score.
The most infamous case of this was Derrick White’s career-defining buzzer beater in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
While Strus’ ineffective defense led to the bucket, it is not enough to label him a traffic cone on defense. The entire sequence was chaotic, and much of the outcome came from luck.
Where the true questions come for Strus is his overall defensive impact. Strus ranked in the bottom 15 percent of wings for both block percentage and steal percentage, per Cleaning the Glass (subscription required). In his career, Strus’ defensive rating has consistently been below the league average 110. Last season, his defensive rating was a poor 117, meaning he allowed 117 points per 100 possessions on defense.
As mentioned prior, his off-ball defense is not as valuable as his on-ball defense. He loses his man when he’s targeting smaller shifty guards. When he’s defending the ball handler, Strus rarely fails his matchup.
In Miami, Strus typically played the two guard spot while Jimmy Butler played at the small forward position. Strus’ defensive issues may stem from playing against quicker opponents instead of other forwards.
Though Strus can struggle defensively, his overall impact cannot be overlooked. In Cleveland, he would still help place the Cavs into the discussion for top teams out East.
Pro No. 3: Ironman availability
No matter what the Cavaliers do this offseason, their depth will not suddenly be so great that injuries mean nothing. The health of their players plays a part in the team’s success. Teams that have constant turnover in their starting lineup or bench rotation struggle to find consistency come playoffs.
In the case of Max Strus, he stays healthy and available throughout the entire year.
During his first two seasons, Strus played very few games. This was not due to injury but instead the coach’s decision. Strus spent a lot of time at the end of the bench.
Once he solidified a role in Miami, Strus’ games played skyrocketed. Last season, Strus played all but two games. In the playoffs, Strus never missed a single contest.
By signing Strus, the Cavaliers get a dependable player who will show up for every game. With most of Cleveland’s offensive load on Garland, Mitchell, and Mobley, Strus will not be asked to overexert and place himself in harm’s way.
As long as Strus continues to play his role and prepare himself properly, he would be a constant sighting for Cleveland fans. With his lethal shooting, cultural fit, and relatively good defense, Strus’ healthy body is the icing on the cake.
Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff will be finding ways to utilize plenty of new talent, assuming the Cavs make the amount of moves the media expects to see. When a coach is slotting in numerous new players, staying healthy is crucial for team growth and success.
Free agency begins on Friday evening, with signings to be named official next week, and Strus will have plenty of desirable landing spots. In Cleveland, though, Strus might be the perfect fit and find his biggest role on any team yet.