Sign of the Times: Former Cavs Forward Suffers Foot Injury In Debut With New Team

It was very unfortunate for the Cavs last year when their projected small forward had to miss the first 67 games of the season. Though he was dealt to the Clippers this offseason, it seems that injuries are still plaguing him.

Max Strus made his Clippers debut last night as the team opened up preseason. Unfortunately, by the time it was over, he was limping uncomfortably to the locker room, and it looked all too familiar for those Cleveland folks watching it happen.

Here’s what it means for both teams.

A Depth Struggle In LA

Injuries have plagued the Clippers wings for years. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both had their fair share of them during their shared time in LA. Brandon Ingram, acquired by the team in a deal earlier in the summer, is going to miss time as his heel surgery found an undiagnosed Achilles injury.

Just last night, in the preseason opener, their other new addition went down. Max Strus, acquired to provide shooting and depth on the wing alongside former teammate Darius Garland, seemed to suffer a serious foot injury in that first game. A non-contact injury that saw him limping heavily off the floor after it happened isn’t looking great.

On top of both of these two guys being hurt, Bennedict Mathurin, acquired at last year’s deadline, opted to join the Pelicans instead of staying around. The SF spot went from being a whole lot of riches, to unfortunately being the place they go to buy crutches.

Here’s hoping for a quick recovery for Strus, who the team is going to miss greatly.

What This Means For Cavs Side

While Max Strus isn’t on Cleveland anymore, his injury still absolutely impacts them. Similar to how the team acquired James Harden in exchange for a hobbled Darius Garland at last year’s trade deadline, they got Peyton Watson for their three-year wing player in August.

Strus, now expected to potentially miss time, won’t be on the floor. Watson meanwhile will be the starting small forward coming into the new season. They moved players to LA twice in the past eight months now, with each of them slated to miss some time right off the bat. While the player brought in steps right into the lineup, ready to make a difference.

It didn’t seem promising for a Strus return after he missed the first 67 games of last year after suffering a Jones fracture. On an expiring deal and trying to save the team money while getting taller, they opted to move him in a multi-team deal to land the aforementioned Watson. The move likely wasn’t made as a foresight to those injury woes, but they must feel pretty lucky right now it didn’t happen to them.

Cleveland will move forward with extra depth on the wing, while LA is going to have to dig a bit deeper to figure out who gets the minutes. Probably Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr.

Timetable TBA

After the X-rays and official diagnosis, there should be a Max Strus update to come. Here’s hoping for a quick recovery for the former Cavalier so that he can help his new team on the floor.

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