Cleveland Cavaliers' Key Piece Named Among NBA's Best Bargains

This Cleveland Cavaliers player is considered to have a very team-friendly contract, especially with the rising salary cap.

May 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus (1) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Orlando Magic in game seven of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

When the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Max Strus to a four-year, $62.3 million contract during the summer of 2023, some wondered if the Cavaliers have overpaid.

Now, Strus' deal looks like a steal.

In a piece where Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus listed the 12 best contracts in the NBA right now, Strus came in at No. 7.

"For a starter on a playoff team, $15.9 million each for the next three seasons is an excellent price—especially with the salary cap expected to climb 10 percent per season," Pincus wrote of Strus.

Strus started 70 games during his debut campaign in Cleveland, averaging 12.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and four steals over 32 minutes per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor, 35.1 percent from three-point range and 79.4 percent from the free-throw line.

Obviously, the Cavs would prefer that Strus be a bit more efficient. A true-shooting percentage of 55.3 percent is not ideal, especially for a player who was billed as a sharpshooter earlier on in his career with the Miami Heat.

However, Strus is a reliable role player who even improved as a creator this past season. His career high in assists before 2023-24 was 2.1 dimes per game.

One of the primary knocks against Strus is his size, as he stands just 6-foot-5 at the small forward position. That can actually be seen as more of an indictment against the Cavaliers' lack of backcourt size in general, as Donovan Mitchell (6-foot-3) and Darius Garland (6-foot-1) comprise one of the smaller guard tandems in basketball.

Regardless, Strus has carved out a role as an important rotational piece on Cleveland. It would just be nice if the Cavs added another wing to allow Strus to take on a reserve role.