How are the Cleveland Cavaliers going to change (or better yet, improve) their roster this offseason, given their ballooning salary cap situation? And a deeper, directly-related question: How are the Cavs going to do this while stubbornly refusing to move on from any of their "core four" players, as it very much looks like the Cavs are intent on doing?
The answer to those questions begins just below Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, James Harden, and Jarrett Allen on the Cavaliers' projected salary sheet for 2026-27, where you'll conveniently see Max Strus and Dennis Schröder.
Strus is set to make $16.7 million next season; Schröder, $14.8 million. I've already pointed out in a prior article how Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman basically gave away his secret plans to trade Schröder on Friday. Strus also makes a lot of sense for Altman to trade.
Max Strus might find himself playing for a new team in 2026-27
There are a few reasons why the Cavaliers should absolutely consider trading Strus. The most obvious one is a financial reason. Given all of Cleveland's other costs tied up in the core four ($100.2 million alone for Mitchell and Mobley next season), the Cavs can't really be in the business of paying role players yearly salaries in the upper teens at this point, not with an aim to get out of the second apron this summer. Strus is just flat-out too expensive for Cleveland's fiscal health right now.
The Cavs NEED to get more athletic and versatile this summer
— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) May 28, 2026
Currently too slow and have too many specialists
Strus is an overrated defender (by the Cavs)
Yeah, I said it. It was pretty tough watching Strus attempt (in vain) to guard/bother Jalen Brunson during the Cavs' pitiful Eastern Conference Finals loss to the New York Knicks. At 6-foot-5 with surprising athleticism and a lot of heart, Strus is actually a better defender than most casual fans would expect, but on the other hand, the Cavs have taken things too far in the other direction and convinced themselves that Strus is some plus-defender who can be tasked with shutting down (or at least containing) a guy like Brunson.
Strus is not that good defensively, even if his salary says that he should be. He's oftentimes more bark than bite on defense, and it showed during the Knicks series, as he was more concerned with the officiating and Brunson's push -offs than he was with just moving his feet and staying in front of Brunson. The Knicks know they have Strus' number moving forward, which in and of itself is a good reason for the Cavs to move off Strus if they plan on facing (and defeating) the Knicks in the playoffs next year.
Sam Merrill exists
He's not the physical guard that Strus is, but Sam Merrill is a better shooter than Strus, and he's way cheaper ($9.2 million next season). It's obvious that the Cavs should lean into Merrill as a rotation guy moving forward, and his contract is an awesome one to have during this money-saving, apron-escaping period for Cleveland's front office.
Jaylon Tyson ... also exists!
Speaking of tremendous value contracts, Jaylon Tyson is making $3.7 million next year (assuming Cleveland picks up his team option, which they 100% will). It's my opinion that the Cavs should've used Tyson way more than they did this postseason (like ... instead of Strus), especially since he's better at guarding the same types of players that Strus guards (or tries to). Cleveland can make it up to Tyson next year by giving him all of Strus' minutes.
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