Max Strus Still Lacks Return Date Following Foot Surgery
no-timeline-yet-for-max-strus-season-debut
Cleveland Cavaliers wing Max Strus remains without a target date for his first appearance of the 2025-26 season as he continues to recover from offseason foot surgery, head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Monday.
The 29-year-old underwent a procedure in late August to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot. Although he has begun individual on-court drills—cutting, moving and shooting to test the injury—Strus has not rejoined full practices, according to reporter Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“The timeline is what it is. There’s no earlier or later,” Atkinson told reporters, indicating the club will not accelerate the process.
Strus’ next major checkpoint is a full-contact session, but the Cavaliers’ congested schedule makes that difficult. The team is slated to play every other day from December 29 through January 16 and may not practice until January 18, one day before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Whenever he is cleared, Strus is expected to reclaim the starting small forward role he held for most of the past two seasons. The coaching staff plans to restrict his minutes initially.
The veteran is earning approximately $15.94 million this season and is under contract for $16.66 million in 2026-27, after which he can enter free agency.
Source: Hoops Rumors
