Breaking: After formally declining a four-year contract worth $102 million from the Golden State warriors during his departure announcements this morning, Buddy Hield, golden state warriors best shooting guard has bought out his contract 15 minutes ago, As he Officially traded himself to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were named the East Conference Best Team. The star guard signed one of the team’s biggest 6-year contracts, worth $220 million because of…..
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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – FEBRUARY 05: Buddy Hield #7 of the Golden State Warriors looks on during the first half of a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on February 05, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Cavaliers depth could create playoff problem for Kenny Atkinson..
What do you do when you have six starters?
That’s the problem the Cleveland Cavaliers are faced with as the playoffs inch ever closer. This postseason brings with it a lot of pressure — for the Cavs to prove they belong as a title contender, to show they don’t need LeBron James to make a deep run, to knock the Boston Celtics off their perch. Validation, maturity and excellence are all waiting for Cleveland to reach out and snatch them.
That’s why this group needs to be at its best when the playoffs arrive. They need to have the ideal starting lineup in place, the best rotation, everyone healthy and in rhythm. They can’t guarantee all of that, but that’s what they are striving toward.
That is in part why they made the Trade Deadline deal to bring in De’Andre Hunter at the expense of Caris LeVert and Georges Niang. That deal looks like a win-win for both sides, as LeVert and Niang are playing key bench roles for the Atlanta Hawks, much as they did in Cleveland, while Hunter is balling out for the Cavaliers as they ignite on yet another winning streak, this one eight games and counting.
Yet such a bold move brings with it a problem: who is going to start at small forward in the playoffs?
Who will start: Strus or Hunter?
Who starts games right now is not as important. Hunter is new to the organization and getting his rhythm; bringing him off the bench is fine. If Kenny Atkinson flipped things and asked current starting small forward Strus to come off the bench so that Hunter could get some reps with the other starters, it would be palatable.
Once the playoffs begin, however, Atkinson needs to have an answer. Does he start Max Strus, who is a part of the best starting 5 in the entire NBA and who has been the starter when healthy for the past two seasons? He is having an excellent year, all the more so since regaining his starting spot, and the Cavaliers are destroying opponents when he is on the court with the other starters.
On the other hand, De’Andre Hunter was acquired because he is taller, longer and a better high-volume shooter than Strus; essentially, he is better equipped for the role that Strus fills. Especially against opponents with big wings like the Boston Celtics or Orlando Magic, Hunter seems like a more fitting option.
He also makes more than Strus, is under contract long-term and cost the team two key role players. The Cavaliers may have improved their ceiling by swapping LeVert and Niang, but they also took two bench players and turned them into a potential starter. Who will get the nod when it matters the most?
Hunter came off the bench to start the season in Atlanta as well, so it’s possible he is comfortable in that role and Atkinson keeps him there. It’s also possible that eventually he continues shooting the ball so well that Atkinson is forced to bring him into the starting group, moving Strus back to the bench.
If things get dicey in the playoffs, it’s also not impossible to think that both Strus and Hunter get to start, with Jarrett Allen moving to the bench. That is a last-ditch pull of the lever, but it’s on the table.
We also haven’t mentioned Isaac Okoro, who has looked great this season and started a number of games, or Dean Wade, who has always been an elite role player alongside the four stars. The Cavaliers have an embarrassment of riches now on the wing.
Our money is on Strus holding onto the job, and on the Cavaliers frequently closing with two of Strus / Hunter / Wade and Allen on the bench. But there is still a lot of basketball to be played before the postseason begins, giving both players a chance to prove their worth down the stretch.
