The Cleveland Cavaliers hold an all-important ace up their sleeve to try and escape their continued struggles with injuries. The name of that ace would be Malik Beasley.
Cleveland were dealt not one, but two major injury blows before the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season. First, it was Darius Garland being slated to miss time after toe surgery. What followed was the unfortunate news of Max Strus set to miss three to four months after an offseason workout caused a left foot fracture.
Luckily for the Cavaliers, they have yet to fill the 14th spot on the roster heading into 2025-26, as most will know. There have been murmurings that Cleveland will aim to be financially responsible with that decision.
However, that came before the Strus news. With another reliable contributor needed on the wings, it is hard to find a better one to fill that role than Beasley at this point of the offseason.
Malik Beasley risk is one worth taking after Max Strus injury
The first positive bit of news about this union potentially coming together is that the Cavaliers have already made their inquiries regarding Beasley. Michael Scotto confirmed as much on Aug. 24 and then doubled down more recently.
Scotto wrote, "The Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves have recently touched base on Malik Beasley, along with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, sources told [HoopsHype]. It’s worth noting Cavs guard Max Strus expects to miss 3-4 months after Jones fracture foot surgery."
Even the NBA insider himself hinted at newfound urgency for the Cavaliers to get this done after the Strus injury. For a lot of reasons, it just makes too much sense not to make the move.
Beasley is coming off one of his best seasons as a pro. The former Detroit Piston averaged 16.3 points per game off the bench in 2024-25, shooting 41.6 percent from beyond the arc, and finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year race.
Due to his off-court legal troubles during the offseason, Beasley will be available for a fraction of the price he should have received from the Pistons in free agency. A veteran minimum contract should be what gets the sharpshooting wing to his next team at this point.
ESPN story on Malik Beasley receiving determination that he is not a target in Eastern District of New York's gambling investigation, potentially opening door for the sharpshooter with the second-most 3s in NBA last season to resume free agency: https://t.co/fg1QfwhJT3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 22, 2025
There may be some concern with bringing Beasley in with the dark cloud of those troubles potentially causing a distraction. However, the Cavaliers would really only need the veteran wing to keep them afloat until Strus returns.
At that point, Beasley is excess goods. If the Cavaliers have any reason to sever ties then, they have that option available to them. Until then, the veteran sniper can provide a key rotational piece for a team that is suddenly falling short on options.