Cavs’ hopes of Max Strus return suddenly cloudy

The Cavaliers are waiting. And waiting. And waiting some more.

The hope, of course, centers on Max Strus, who has been sidelined since the offseason with a Jones fracture in his foot.

Inside the organization and among fans, Strus has quietly become the Cavaliers’ version of a midseason acquisition. Not a trade, but the closest thing they can reasonably expect.

That is not a stretch. Strus is a career 36.8 percent shooter from three and Cleveland ranks near the bottom of the league in three-point accuracy.

His spacing, movement and willingness to let it fly matter. A lot.

As for trades, the problem is the math. Cleveland carries the highest payroll in the NBA and is the league’s lone team operating in the second apron.

That makes deals extremely restrictive, with incoming salary required to be equal to or less than what goes out. Meaning a meaningful in-season addition is unlikely.

So the focus keeps circling back to Strus. Except he is not back yet. And no one truly knows when he will be.

Speaking on the Wine and Gold podcast, Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor said the uncertainty is now being acknowledged internally.

“I think Kenny is finally admitting and I think other people inside the organization are admitting, ‘We don’t know if we’re going to get the Max Strus that we’ve gotten in the past,’” Fedor said, referencing coach Kenny Atkinson.

That is the uncomfortable part. A Jones fracture is not a routine injury. It cost Zion Williamson an entire season in 2021–22.

The issue, as outlined by the Cleveland Clinic, is that the bone does not always heal cleanly, increasing the risk of reinjury even after a return.

By most accounts, Strus may not be close to full strength until late in the regular season. If that proves true, expecting him to dramatically elevate Cleveland’s ceiling may be unrealistic.

Hope remains. But at this point, it is cautious hope. And that is not quite the same thing.