Acquiring Max Strus from the Cleveland Cavaliers would check a few boxes for the Chicago Bulls at once.
It would give Bryson Graham’s team another shooter for the present, add draft capital for later, and maybe send the clearest message yet that this front office is willing to use its cap space to absorb money in exchange for future assets.
Strus is not the kind of move that suddenly transforms a roster. He’s a pricey role player, and there’s no guarantee Cleveland would even be willing to attach anything truly meaningful to move him.
But that is not really the point here. If Graham uses Chicago’s final open roster spot and available cap room to bring him in, it would say plenty about the direction of the franchise.
Cleveland, even after dealing Denis Schröder, is still trying to free up space so it can re-sign James Harden and chase either Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson, according to Marc Stein. “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,” the longtime NBA insider wrote.
Chicago, as the source of this idea makes clear, should probably be the team targeting Watson instead of helping another club land the 23-year-old swingman. Still, Strus makes sense as a fallback option for Graham.
The Bulls have plenty of youth and talent, but they’re missing a real floor-spacer. Outside of 33-year-old Norman Powell, they don’t have anyone who can consistently stretch defenses.
Strus isn’t Klay Thompson in his prime, but he has built a solid shooting track record. He’s a career 37.0 percent three-point shooter and hit 38.6 percent of his 5.9 attempts per game in 2024-25. Injury limited him to 12 regular-season games last year, but the shot remains the selling point.
There’s also very little downside for Chicago. Strus is 30 and on an expiring $16.7 million deal, so if the fit isn’t right, he can walk into unrestricted free agency after the season. That would also leave the Bulls with more room on the books for 2027.
And if Graham can squeeze draft compensation out of Cleveland, the deal becomes even more appealing. A protected future first-round pick would be a real win. Even a handful of second-round picks would beat walking away empty-handed.
That’s the kind of transaction Chicago’s previous front offices tended to avoid. If Graham pulls it off, the Bulls would get better positioned for the future - and fans would have a little more proof that this time, the approach really is different.
In Other News...
Bulls Rebuild Is Already Fueling A Frustrating Contract Debate
As the Bulls lean deeper into a rebuild, the front office is taking a hard look at how much value it is getting from each spot on the roster. In a salary-cap league, those judgments matter as much as wins and losses, and Chicagos current contract picture is already shaping the conversation about who fits the next version of the team and who does not.
Patrick Williams stands out as the clearest example of the pain point, with his contract seen as expensive for the amount of playing time he has provided. On the other side, Tre Jones looks like the kind of efficient bargain every rebuilding team wants to uncover, which only adds to the frustration because the Bulls have both ends of the spectrum sitting in the same locker room. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Crow-Armstrong Is Giving Chicago Fans Derrick Rose MVP Vibes
Pete Crow-Armstrong has turned a hot season into a full-blown MVP conversation, and its starting to feel familiar to Chicago fans who remember what it was like when a homegrown star became the face of the league. The Cubs center fielder has climbed into the National League discussion for 2026 by doing everything well: impacting the game at the plate, locking down center field and delivering in big spots. Even with Shohei Ohtani still looming over the race, Crow-Armstrong has made himself impossible to ignore.
What makes the push so intriguing is how the debate has shifted. Ohtani had been the favorite, but he has not pitched since early July, and that has changed the way voters may look at the race. Crow-Armstrong, meanwhile, has built his case on overall value, leading in fWAR as both a hitter and a center fielder while supplying the kind of all-around production that can carry a team and a city into September wondering how far this thing can go. [Read more 🡒]
Kyle Korvers Exit Just Revived A Bulls Front Office Debate
Kyle Korvers departure from the Hawks has put his name back in the middle of an old Bulls conversation, the kind that tends to resurface whenever the front office is in transition. After four years as Atlantas assistant general manager, Korver is once again without a defined next step, and his history with Chicago only makes the speculation around him feel more natural than usual.
The Bulls still have a general manager opening, and the timing has only sharpened the curiosity around Bryson Grahams new leadership structure. Nothing has been confirmed about Korver landing in Chicago, but the overlap of his past ties to the city and the teams current search is enough to keep the discussion alive until the next move is made. [Read more 🡒]