Cavs' Max Strus gets surgery for Jones fracture in foot

And so it begins. When the 2025-26 regular season starts in New York on Oct. 22, the Cavaliers are expected to be without two starters. The team announced Tuesday that veteran swingman Max Strus underwent surgery to repair a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot, suffered recently during offseason training. The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder is expected to resume basketball activities in approximately three to four months. The Cavs already are bracing themselves to play without starting point guard Darius Garland, who had surgery on his big toe and is not expected to be ready for the start of the season. Strus started at small forward for Cleveland last season and averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 50 games. He shot .442 from the field and .386 from the 3-point line. The 29-year-old DePaul product is entering his seventh season in the NBA. The Cavs won 64 games last season before their disappointing second-round loss to the Indiana Pacers. They are expected to once again be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson might insert De'Andre Hunter in the starting lineup at small forward in place of Strus, whose surgery was performed by Dr. David Porter in consultation with Cavs team physician Dr. James Rosneck at Forte Sports Medicine and Orthopedics in Indianapolis. However, starting Hunter would severely weaken Cleveland's bench. Another option would be to start Dean Wade at small forward, which would allow Hunter to come off the bench, where he thrived last season. Pairing Hunter with Donovan Mitchell and eventually Garland, both ball-dominant players, might not leave many shots for anyone else. The 6-9 Wade is more of a role player who defends and rebounds and doesn't need shots to survive. The start of training camp is about a month away at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Contact Bob Finnan at (440) 329-7135 or rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.