The Cavaliers are still trying to clear salary, and Max Strus is the name now sitting at the center of that effort.
Even after moving Denis Schroder, Cleveland has not backed off its push to create more financial breathing room. Marc Stein reported that “Cleveland remains in active search of a trade to send out Max Strus as Strus enters the final year of his current contract.”
Strus is on an expiring deal worth $16.7 million in 2026-27, and that number is part of what makes the situation tricky. Cleveland’s latest move shaved $6.8 million off next season’s books, but getting another deal done may be tougher. A team taking on Strus could ask for draft capital to make the math work.
That’s the reality of the apron era. Even a one-year commitment can be a hard sell when clubs are trying to protect flexibility and keep their assets liquid. Strus isn’t just a dead-money type of contract, but his salary is high enough to make some teams hesitate.
There’s also the injury history from this past season. Strus spent most of it sidelined after suffering a Jones fracture before training camp. He appeared in 12 regular season games and made his debut a memorable one, going 7-9 from the field, 6-7 from three, and finishing with 24 points and eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
Still, Cleveland knows what Strus brings when he’s available. He can score, and he’s valued in the locker room too. Moving him would mean losing that presence on and off the floor.
The reason the Cavaliers are pursuing this path is clear enough: they want the flexibility to go after either Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson. Stein’s reporting suggests the team is continuing down that road, and the next question is how much Cleveland has to attach - or absorb - to find a trade partner willing to take Strus and open the space the Cavaliers want.
In Other News...
Cavaliers May Have Just Opened The Door To A Bigger Wing Move
The Cavaliers have already made one roster move that matters beyond the immediate backcourt shuffle, agreeing to send Dennis Schrder to Charlotte for Tre Mann. On its face, it is a guard-for-guard deal, but the larger significance is financial: Cleveland is cutting into its salary cap commitments at a moment when every bit of flexibility can help shape the next move.
That is why the chatter around a larger trade framework has started to pick up. Cleveland is still reportedly looking to move Max Strus, and there is growing speculation that a four-team deal involving the Nuggets, Clippers and Hornets could give the Cavs a path to add a bigger wing. The talks are not finalized, but the structure suggests Cleveland may have just created room to chase a more meaningful swing on the perimeter. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Offseason Suddenly Hinges On One Trade They Need Done
The Cavaliers offseason plan has narrowed in a hurry, and the search for a starting wing now appears tied to a different name after things cooled around Jonathan Kuminga. Cleveland has pivoted toward Peyton Watson in sign-and-trade talks with Denver, a move that would give the roster the kind of athletic, defensive-minded wing it has spent the summer trying to find.
Pulling it off is the tricky part. The Cavaliers are also trying to create enough financial room by moving Max Strus and Dennis Schrder, which would help make the Watson deal possible and potentially open another lane for the front offices broader plans. For a team still trying to solve its wing depth, the whole offseason could come down to whether those separate pieces can be lined up in time. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Mann Gives Cavs A Useful Option In A Bigger Roster Decision
Tre Mann has given the Cavaliers something useful to think about as they sort through their backcourt and broader roster plans. The guard has shown he can help in limited minutes with steady shooting and active defense, and that kind of two-way competence matters for a team trying to balance short-term depth with longer-term flexibility.
Mann also arrives with a contract that makes him more than a simple end-of-bench piece, giving Cleveland a movable guard option if the front office decides another part of the roster needs attention first. For now, he looks like the kind of player every contender wants to have in hand, useful enough to keep, valuable enough to include in a bigger deal if the Cavaliers decide that is the better path. [Read more 🡒]