Mailbag: Should Max Strus Start When He Returns? What Kind of Trade Should the Cavs Make? And More

You've got questions about the 21-4 Cleveland Cavaliers and I've got answers!

Photo via Erik Drost

Welcome to the first edition of The Inside Shot Mailbag!

You’ve got questions about trades, Max Strus, Jarrett Allen and more. I’ve got answers. Let’s get started.

Questions have been lightly edited for clarity.

Jakub Wadsworth: Do you think the Cavs should make a minor move to get a backup big?

I don’t think this should be the primary focus in terms of a trade target for the Cavs this winter. I understand that it’s a spot where the Cavs are thin right now, especially in light of Evan Mobley landing on Kevin Love’s foot Sunday in Miami. Could they use the added depth? Yes. But I don’t think that it’s worth trading something away in order to find a third big man that won’t crack the rotation when everyone is healthy.

The Cavs do like that Dean Wade can play at center in certain matchups. They understand that he’s not the answer at that spot against the premier, traditional big guys in the league – don’t expect him to play center against Joel Embiid – but do think he’s capable of playing there against teams with smaller frontcourts.

Wade at center hasn’t happened much yet this season. To date, Mobley has missed one game and Jarrett Allen has played in all 25, so there hasn’t been a need for him to log minutes there. But according to Cleaning the Glass, the Cavs have a net rating of plus-52.8 in the 55 possessions Wade has played center. The offensive rating when he’s at center has been 147.3. The sample size is small, obviously, but it might be enough for the Cavs to think he could play a little bit more at center in the event Mobley or Allen needs to miss time and Tristan Thompson could handle minutes against bigger centers.

If Allen or Mobley is out of the lineup things aren’t going to be ideal no matter how you shake it.

All of this said, when it comes time to scour the buyout market, if someone that would fit in, say maybe a Larry Nance Jr., becomes available and the Cavs still have an open roster spot, that would be a wise addition.

Sarah Knows Ball on Bluesky: When do you expect Max Strus to be back and should he immediately enter the starting rotation or come off the bench once he’s healthy?

Let’s start with the second part of this first.

When Strus does return, I don’t think he should be in the starting lineup right away. When he first gets back on the floor, I presume that his minutes will be limited. For as hard as guys work to get into shape, there’s really no substitute to playing in games. It would be a surprise if it doesn’t take Strus a few games to get his legs underneath him. Bringing him off the bench as a way to ease him into things with this team would be wise.

Once that process is over, Strus should be part of the starting lineup for the Cavs. He’s the perfect connector for the rest of the starting five. He might not be as good defensively as Isaac Okoro, but his playmaking and role as a movement shooter would really tie that group together nicely.

As far as when Strus might be back?