Max Strus’ run in Cleveland is over, and he made sure to leave the city with a message of thanks.
About a week after the Cavaliers moved him in a deal to land Peyton Watson, Strus took to social media to say goodbye to the fan base and the city. The three-year Cavalier is now headed to Los Angeles, where he’ll join former teammate Darius Garland and play for former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue.
Strus’ time with Cleveland was defined by exactly the kind of things the roster had been missing on the wing: threes, hustle, rebounds and a steady championship presence from his years with the Heat. He arrived with a bang, too, knocking down seven threes and finishing with 27 points and 12 rebounds in his debut. Before that, he authored one of the most memorable shots in recent Cavs memory, drilling the third-longest game-winner in NBA history against the Mavs and, as the source noted, making it his fifth triple in a row.
The move also closes the loop on a familiar Cavaliers story. Three years ago, Cleveland sent out Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens in a three-team deal to bring in Strus, two players the 216 had grown attached to. Now Strus is the one moving on.
There’s no bad blood from Cleveland’s side. The source makes clear that No. 2 gave everything he had to the team and the city, even if a Jones fracture kept him out for 80% of this past regular season. With that injury in the mix, the story of his final season could have looked very different.
As for what comes next, Strus is joining a Clippers group that got deeper on the wing this summer with Brandon Ingram and Rui Hachimura. The team also allowed Bennedict Mathurin to join the Pelicans, and Strus appears to be stepping into that spot.
Cleveland’s side of the deal is about size and length, with Watson arriving as the defensive connector the team has long been searching for. He’ll also get a starting job for the first time in his career. And while Strus will be back in Cleveland on December 31st as a visitor, his goodbye message made one thing clear: he’s leaving with gratitude, not resentment.
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