On Tuesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers got some tough news when they learned that Max Strus will miss the beginning portion of the upcoming 2025-26 season after having surgery on his foot, per Shams Charania of ESPN. Strus is expected to take three to four months in his recovery process and joins fellow Cavs guard Darius Garland as Cleveland players who will begin the upcoming season on the bench.
This being the case, Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson will have some interesting decisions to make as it pertains to his lineup rotations in the upcoming season.
Recently, ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel reported on what the Cavs will do to try to fill the void that Strus and Garland will leave as they recover from their injuries.
“Without Max Strus and Darius Garland to begin the 2025-26 season, the Cavs will turn to Dean Wade, De’Andre Hunter, and Sam Merrill as key contributors alongside Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen,” reported Siegel.
Siegel also noted that “Wade will likely start alongside Merrill in place of Strus and Garland. Head coach Kenny Atkinson is very high on Merrill’s abilities to step into a larger role this year, sources said.”
Wade and Merrill would certainly give the Cavs a lot of shot creation in their starting lineup, but if this is indeed the case, the perimeter playmaking might fall almost exclusively on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell, which could become an issue later on in the season when wear and tear start to factor into the equation.
An interesting spot for the Cavs
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The Cavs are widely expected to win a lot of games once again this season, with some even projecting them to make their first NBA Finals since LeBron James skipped town in 2018.
The Cavs flamed out in the second round vs the Indiana Pacers this past season, although the front office evidently sees that as more of an injury-based loss than anything else, as they opted to bring back the same core as a year ago as opposed to switching things up.
The Cavs will kick off their 2025 season on the road against the New York Knicks on October 22.
