In light of the many off-season re-signings over the past two summers, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fully invested in their core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. All four starters inked multi-year deals, including Mitchell’s three-year $150.3 million extension, and are signed through 2027. However, their fifth starter, Max Strus, also signed through 2027, suffered an ankle injury that will keep him sidelined for at least six weeks as Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson assigns his replacement.
Atkinson’s response to who will replace Strus wasn’t definitive. Still, he did mention two players vying for the position ahead of Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Toronto Raptors, per Evan Dammarell’s X, formerly Twitter.
“Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said “we’ll see” based on who will start at small forward with Max Strus sidelined,” Dammarell reported. “Atkinson said that Dean Wade and Caris LeVert are options, and things will be more matchup-based for the six weeks Strus is out.”
Revered for his 20-point fourth quarter in the Cavs’ 22-point comeback in Cleveland’s 105-104 comeback win against the Boston Celtics, Dean Wade’s regular season was cut short due to a right knee sprain. Then, injuries depleted the Cavs’ roster in the first and second rounds of the NBA playoffs.
Mitchell suffered a left calf injury in Game 3, forcing him to miss the rest of the second round against the Celtics, and Caris LeVert’s left knee injury forced him to miss the series-clinching Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals’ best-of-7. Either option, between Wade and LeVert, makes sense at the three, considering Wade’s outside touch parallels Strus’ and LeVert’s ability to create off the dribble, adding a dynamic wrinkle to the Cavs’ offense alongside Mitchell.
Atkinson’s starting five could thrive with either starting at small forward.
Donovan Mitchell gets 100% real on Cavs contract extension
Cavs superstar Donovan Mitchell is a fan of the Cleveland Guardians. The eight-year All-Star, third with the Cavs, embraces Cleveland’s sports culture. He’s situated nicely during his time in The Land and talked about the calm and peace that came with his three-year extension, per Sirius XM’s NBA Radio.
“The first year, I tried to fight it, you know? Mitchell said. “You try to be like, ‘No,’ [to the rumors], but after that, it’s like as long as these guys know, everybody in my locker room, that’s where I got to last season, where it’s like, as long as everybody in this building knows what it is, that’s all I can ask for. And now that I’m settled here, it’s freeing.”
On Wednesday, Mitchell and the Cavs’ regular season begins on the road against the Raptors.
