NBA: Max Strus agrees to $63M deal with Cavaliers after Finals run with Heat | Inquirer Sports

NBA: Max Strus agrees to $63M deal with Cavaliers after Finals run with Heat

/ 10:04 PM July 01, 2023

Max Strus NBA

Max Strus #31 of the Miami Heat dives for a loose ball during the first quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the 2023 NBA Finals at Kaseya Center on June 09, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Megan Briggs/Getty Images/AFP

Max Strus helped Miami get to the NBA Finals, and his stock soared in the process.

Strus is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers, agreeing to a $63 million, four-year deal that was finalized Saturday by making the transaction part of a three-team trade, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

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Strus goes to the Cavaliers, who will send Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens to San Antonio while Miami gets future second-round draft compensation, said the people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade terms have not been approved by the NBA.

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ESPN first reported the trade agreement.

Strus was a starter for Miami in its playoff runs over the last two years, including this past season’s trip to the finals against Denver. He averaged a career-best 11.5 points per game this past season and has shot 37% from 3-point range in his career.

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Cleveland clearly prioritized shooting. The Cavs struck deals with Caris LeVert ($32 million, two years) and Georges Niang ($26 million, three years) on Friday; Niang is a career 40% shooter on 3s, and LeVert shot a career-best 39% from beyond the arc this past season.

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Most deals cannot be finalized until July 6, and Strus became one of the biggest names to leave for a new team in the early stages of free agency. Fred VanVleet ($130 million, three years) left Toronto for Houston, and Bruce Brown Jr. ($45 million, two years) left NBA champion Denver for Indiana.

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Many players stayed put: Jerami Grant ($160 million, five years) remains in Portland, Kyrie Irving ($126 million, three years) remains in Dallas, Cam Johnson ($108 million, four years) stays in Brooklyn, Khris Middleton ($102 million, three years) stays in Milwaukee, Kyle Kuzma ($102 million, four years) remains in Washington and Draymond Green ($100 million, four years) remains with Golden State.

And two players eligible for rookie-scale extensions also cashed in early Saturday on deals that will take effect in 2024-25 — Desmond Bane in Memphis and Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana got contracts that will be worth an estimated $207 million apiece over five years, with Haliburton potentially able to reach $260 million if he makes an All-NBA team.

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TAGS: Cleveland Cavaliers, Max Strus, NBA

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