The Cavaliers didn’t just lose Max Strus in this trade. They lost a voice.
That was the bigger thread running through a recent episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where host Ethan Sands asked the question that matters just as much as any conversation about Peyton Watson’s shooting, defense or contract: who takes over as the vocal leader in Cleveland’s locker room now that Strus is gone?
Strus was more than a shooter and more than a role player. He was the kind of teammate who could challenge others, set a tone and keep people honest, even when his own game wasn’t perfect that night.
As cleveland.com columnist Jimmy Watkins put it, “You lose Max Strus, you lose the leadership voice, you lose toughness, you lose rebounding. That is hard to replace,” Watkins said.
“I don’t know that Sam Merrill will ever be able to rebound the way Max Strus did because Max Strus is just a little crazier than Sam Merrill.”
Cleveland.com Cavs beat reporter Chris Fedor framed the loss through Kenny Atkinson’s offensive lens, too. Atkinson’s systems have always leaned on a specific type of player: high-IQ, high-energy, movement-heavy shooters who keep defenses working without the ball.
Fedor pointed to Kyle Korver in Atlanta and Joe Harris in Brooklyn, then said Cleveland had that type in Strus and Merrill together. Now it’s Merrill alone, and the Cavs are banking on him taking on more.
Fedor made his case plainly: “You like the movement, you like the three-point shooting, you like the cutting, you like the gravity, the competitiveness, the toughness, the mental toughness, all of that kind of stuff. So you ask yourself, who’s going to replicate that? The answer is Sam Merrill.”
That answer makes sense on the floor, and maybe just as much in the room. Merrill has become one of the more underrated role players in the Eastern Conference, and his preexisting relationship with Donovan Mitchell gives him a level of credibility that matters inside a locker room.
Watkins noted that being “stamped” by Mitchell changes how a player is heard. It can turn a voice into something players actually follow.
There’s also evidence that Merrill has been growing into the job behind the scenes. Fedor said organization sources pointed to his rise as a more vocal presence last season, with more speaking in meetings, more assertiveness in huddles and a bigger share of the leadership work Strus used to carry.
The financial side of the move lines up, too. Merrill makes about $9.5 million a year, while Strus was at $16.6 million. Watkins estimated Merrill can replace about 85% of what Strus gave Cleveland offensively, and do it at a much lower cost.
Still, leadership isn’t something you can reduce to a clean percentage. Jaylon Tyson came up as another possible factor in the conversation.
Fedor described Tyson as a player with a demonstrative personality, saying he “just doesn’t give a bleep about anything.” If Tyson becomes more dependable on the court and earns back Kenny Atkinson’s trust after being benched in the playoffs, his edge could matter in a different way.
Thomas Bryant and the other veteran continuity pieces also remain part of the equation. Sands noted that Cleveland has steadily lost locker room connectors over time - Dean Wade, Larry Nance Jr., Tristan Thompson before that - and those departures add up. Bryant’s long relationship with Mitchell gives him a voice, too.
So the Cavs are not replacing Strus cleanly. That much is clear. But the podcast’s larger point was just as clear: Cleveland does have options, and Sam Merrill looks like the best bet to absorb the responsibility Strus left behind.
In Other News...
Cam Whitmore Suddenly Feels Like A Bigger Cavs Question Than Expected
Cam Whitmores arrival in Cleveland was supposed to be one of the quieter parts of a sprawling five-team trade, a secondary piece next to Peyton Watson and the larger roster mechanics that came with it. But the former 20th overall pick brings a different kind of intrigue because he is also coming off a season cut short by a blood clot, and the Cavaliers have yet to spell out where he fits in their plans.
For now, the uncertainty is less about Whitmores talent than about the business of the move itself. Cleveland still has to sort through the roster and cap implications tied to the deal, and that has left open the possibility that Whitmore could be moved again or even waived before he ever settles in. In a summer full of transactions, he has quickly become one of the more interesting unresolved questions on the Cavs books. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Just Paid A Popular Veteran Price In Latest Roster Shakeup
The Cavaliers made another notable roster move this week, sending Max Strus to the Clippers in a sprawling five-team deal that also pulled in the Nuggets, Hornets and Wizards. Clevelands part of the transaction also included moving Dennis Schroder to Charlotte and Tre Mann to Washington, a reminder that this front office is still actively reshaping the back end of the roster while trying to balance present needs with future flexibility.
For Cleveland, the Strus departure carries a little extra weight because he was one of the more popular veterans in the room, and president of basketball operations Koby Altman made sure to acknowledge both his and Schroders contributions. Moves like this are part of the NBAs business, but they still leave a mark when a team says goodbye to players who helped define its recent stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers May Need An Unusual Final Roster Move To Finish This Deal
The Cavaliers are working through an awkward end-of-offseason squeeze, and it has little to do with on-court fit and everything to do with the math. After adding Peyton Watson and James Harden, Cleveland is hardcapped at the first apron, which leaves the front office with a fixed team salary limit of $208 million and very little room to maneuver as it tries to settle the roster.
One possible solution sits in the draft-rights stash of French center Ismael Kamagate, whose salary would likely come in lower than that of a veteran free agent. Kamagate is not expected to make a major impact this season, but his signing could give the Cavaliers some much-needed financial flexibility as they navigate the cap and finish assembling the roster. [Read more 🡒]