![\"Max](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773163397_983_GettyImages-2209823902-e1772928277667.jpg\")
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Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after making a three-point shot during the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 11, 2025 in New York City. <\/p>\n
The Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> may finally be approaching the long-awaited return of veteran wing Max Strus<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to The Athletic\u2019s Joe Vardon, Strus is closing in on a comeback after spending months recovering from offseason surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is still fighting his way back from offseason surgery to repair a fracture in his left foot, and after months of waiting, he is nearing a return that could happen within the next week,\u201d Vardon reported<\/a> Tuesday.<\/p>\n Strus has yet to appear during the 2025\u201326 NBA<\/a> season, but recent developments \u2014 including his participation in G League practices \u2014 suggest his return could arrive soon as Cleveland prepares for the stretch run.<\/p>\n Donovan Mitchell Praises Max Strus\u2019 Leadership During Injury Absence<\/p>\n Even while sidelined, Strus has remained deeply involved with the team.<\/p>\n During the Cavaliers\u2019 109\u201398 loss to the Boston Celtics<\/a> on Sunday, the veteran forward was active on the bench, communicating with teammates and offering strategic insights \u2014 a presence Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell described as invaluable.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, the energy piece, right? And you know, we all know who he is,\u201d Mitchell said<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s been phenomenal in practice. I know you guys haven\u2019t seen him much, but he\u2019s been looking good.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what his timeline is, but just for him to be out there kind of talking to me, talking to James, talking to Dean, talking to Ev, talking to Danny, Keon \u2014 like whoever. That\u2019s another high-IQ player kind of giving you what he sees out there.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve also played these guys before. I think Max was here when we played them in the playoffs. So he remembers certain things like, \u2018Hey, don\u2019t overreact to this.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what he brings, and we\u2019re excited for whenever he comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n Mitchell\u2019s comments highlight Strus\u2019 ongoing leadership role while he works toward his season debut.<\/p>\n Cavaliers Recall Max Strus After G League Practice<\/p>\n Strus recently took another significant step in his recovery process.<\/p>\n The Cavaliers recalled the 29-year-old forward from the G League\u2019s Cleveland Charge after he practiced with the affiliate Monday. The session marked an important milestone as Strus ramps up toward full game action.<\/p>\n Practicing with the Charge allowed Strus to simulate live-game conditions and test his conditioning after months of rehab.<\/p>\n While the Cavaliers have not announced an official return date, Strus may need another session or two before Cleveland\u2019s medical staff gives him the final clearance to play.<\/p>\n Whenever he is formally cleared, the veteran wing is expected to operate under a noticeable minutes restriction as the team carefully manages his workload following surgery.<\/p>\n Cavaliers Await Final Medical Clearance<\/p>\n Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed before Sunday\u2019s matchup with Boston that Strus is nearing the final stage of his recovery but still needs one more visit with team doctors.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s ramping up,\u201d Atkinson said, via Locked on Cavs host Danny Cunningham<\/a>. \u201cI do believe he\u2019s got one more visit with the doctor \u2014 I\u2019m not sure when that is, I know it\u2019s coming up \u2014 to kind of confirm we\u2019re doing alright.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cavaliers ruled Strus out against the Celtics as a precaution while he continues building strength and conditioning.<\/p>\n According to Cavaliers sideline reporter\u00a0Serena Winters<\/a>, Strus recently participated in roughly 90 percent of a team practice \u2014 another encouraging sign that his return is nearing.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes you feel optimistic, right? You\u2019re starting to get whole,\u201d Atkinson said earlier in the week. \u201cAdding Max is like adding another excellent free agent, if you look at it that way. So really trending positive.\u201d<\/p>\n Max Strus Recovery Progressing After Jones Fracture Surgery<\/p>\n Strus underwent surgery during the offseason to repair a Jones fracture in his left foot, an injury that typically requires an extended recovery timeline.<\/p>\n Cleveland\u2019s upcoming schedule could ultimately determine when Strus makes his season debut.<\/p>\n The Cavaliers travel to face the Orlando Magic on March 11 and the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> on March 13 before hosting Dallas again on March 15 \u2014 their only home game during a span of more than two weeks.<\/p>\n That home matchup could present a logical opportunity for Strus to return once he receives full clearance.<\/p>\n Max Strus Remains Key Piece of Cavaliers\u2019 Rotation<\/p>\n When healthy, Strus has been a critical part of Cleveland\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n The 29-year-old has served as the Cavaliers\u2019 starting small forward for much of the past two seasons, providing perimeter shooting, defensive versatility and secondary playmaking.<\/p>\n During the 2024\u201325 regular season, Strus averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 25.5 minutes per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from three-point range.<\/p>\n He elevated his performance during the postseason as well, averaging 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists across nine playoff games.<\/p>\n Strus is currently in the third season of a four-year, $63 million contract and is earning roughly $15 million this season.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tAlder Almo<\/a> is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 20 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts after making a three-point shot during the fourth quarter of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":646163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3772],"tags":[7,306,305,193,3846,6],"class_list":["post-651241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-basketball","tag-cavaliers","tag-cleveland","tag-cleveland-cavaliers","tag-clevelandcavaliers","tag-nba"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116206044508907678","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651241","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=651241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/651241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/646163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=651241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=651241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=651241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}