RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Mar 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) drives to the basket against Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) during the first half at Rocket Arena.
The Los Angeles Clippers picked up veteran wing Max Strus from the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday as part of an initial three-team trade which converted into five, that also sent Peyton Watson to Cleveland and draft picks to the Denver Nuggets.
The Clippers get a proven shooter heading into next season, but they also lost out on a younger player they had been chasing all summer long.
The Trade
Watson heads to the Cavaliers on a four-year, $88 million contract, Strus goes to Los Angeles, and Denver gets an unprotected 2031 first-round pick from Cleveland along with a 2032 Kings second-rounder.
The Clippers are presumably absorbing Strus and his $16.6 million expiring contract through the $17 million trade exception left over from the John Collins deal, so they did not have to send out any players to make the money work.
Why Strus Makes Sense
The Clippers needed shooting, and Strus gives them that.
He only appeared in 12 regular-season games for Cleveland this past season because of injuries, but when he was on the floor he shot 40.2 percent from three while averaging 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game.
He got healthy in time for the playoffs and turned into a real contributor during the Cavaliers' run to the Eastern Conference Finals, dropping 24 points in the first round against Toronto and going six-for-eight from deep in a closeout win over Detroit.
He is 30, so he is not part of the long-term picture, but for a Clippers team that went 42-40 last season and missed the playoffs after a play-in loss to Golden State, another guy who can space the floor next to Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram is worth having.
Missing Out on Watson
The Clippers had been after Watson all offseason and were one of the most connected teams to the restricted free agent.
Watson had a career year in Denver, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 41.1 percent from deep across 54 games.
He is 23, he defends, and he can shoot, which is pretty much everything the Clippers are looking for as they try to build something around younger talent after moving on from Kawhi Leonard.
The Cavaliers ended up being the team to land him, though, offering the kind of contract and role that was tough for the Clippers to match while they are still trying to sort out their own roster.
A Crowded Roster
That roster is getting crowded.
Bennedict Mathurin is still a restricted free agent, and the Clippers have said the door remains open for his return even after re-signing Bradley Beal on a two-year deal last week.
The Bulls, Pelicans, and Bucks have all shown interest in a sign-and-trade for Mathurin, but the Clippers hold the leverage with his qualifying offer on the books.
If he does come back, the roster could balloon to as many as 18 players, and Tyronn Lue would have to figure out minutes in a backcourt that already includes Garland, Sanders, Strus, Kris Dunn, Gradey Dick, Cam Christie, and Beal.
Getting Strus for nothing but a trade exception is a nice piece of business, but the front office has a lot of sorting to do before training camp.
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