Clippers Acquire Max Strus in Five‑Team Trade

Overview

• The multi-team transaction finalized Thursday sent Max Strus from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Clippers, moved Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers on a reported four-year, $88 million deal, and routed draft assets to Denver.
• The Clippers appear to be using a roughly $17 million trade exception left over from an earlier deal to absorb Strus’s $16.6 million expiring contract so they did not have to send matching salary out.
• Strus is a 30-year-old proven shooter who missed most of the 2025–26 regular season with injury but shot 40.2 percent from three in limited games and provided key playoff minutes for Cleveland.
• The move reunites Strus with point guard Darius Garland, who publicly reacted on social media, and it risks creating a crowded backcourt alongside Bradley Beal, Kris Dunn, Gradey Dick, Cam Christie, and potential returnees like Bennedict Mathurin.
• The Clippers must now trim the roster or clarify rotations before training camp so they can fit a short-term spacing piece without disrupting plans to build around their younger core.