Why Max Strus Is a Valuable Addition for the Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers have made their vision for the 2026-2027 NBA season crystal clear with the acquisition of Max Strus. Their main objective this season is to win and to develop the youth in a winning environment. The team is looking to win with established veterans such as Bradley Beal and Max Strus who have contracts that can easily be traded at the deadline to a contender seeking valuable help which will then open up opportunities for Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and potentially Bennedict Mathurin to take their minutes and continue on a winning trend.
The Clippers have no choice but to win this season. They owe yet another draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2027 NBA draft. This draft pick in question will be a first round pick swap meaning that no matter where the Clippers end up this season, they will likely end up picking 27-30 in the first round as the Thunder are not expected to show any decline. This explains the signing of Max Strus.
Strus is a very low acquisition cost as he was acquired for the second-round pick that the Clippers received alongside Johni Broome from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for cash considerations. This means that the Clippers acquired Broome and Strus for cash this summer. The acquisition of a 30-year-old, 6-foot-5 small forward that is a legitimate movement shooter, as opposed to a spot-up, and even averaged 40% from deep post injury last season is a positive asset. This playstyle can be very useful for the early days of Keaton Wagler to learn as the Clippers will likely need this sort of impact from the rookie until they are ready to hand him the keys to the franchise later on.
Strus also does not need the ball in his hands to be impactful. Despite being a reliable ball handler and shooter, he is able to impact the game in other ways with his presence on the court such as his gravity. This is meaningful when you consider it will allow the young players to not lose opportunities to develop when sharing the court with Strus as the veteran understands and excels at his role.
One thing I noted while researching about Max Strus was the admiration he has received from Cavs’ fans. This admiration reminds me of the same type that the Clippers’ fans have for Nicolas Batum. Batum was a high-end role player for many years and was also able to be a reliable presence on the court even if his stats say otherwise. Max Strus also does not have any stats that jump out the page but the reaction from Cavs fans prove he is a winning basketball player that the team will dearly miss. In fact, one season after being the first seed on a 64-win Cavs team, Strus spent the following season injured and only played 12 regular season games. The Cavs then struggled throughout the season and his presence was deeply missed.
The Clippers will be the ultimate sellers at the 2027 trade deadline. Winning veterans with easily moveable contracts such as Max Strus, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and Derrick Jones Jr will keep the phone lines busy for the Clippers come February.
The Strus signing is a great get for the Clippers. Not only will he help the team win now, but he will do it in ways to not take the ball out of the young players’ hands and will ultimately be a positive asset to own at the trade deadline.