Max Strus‘ 31-point explosion, including seven 3-pointers, in the Heat‘s play-in victory over Chicago on Friday came at an opportune time in his career. Strus will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
That fact didn’t escape Heat teammate Jimmy Butler, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “Honestly speaking, I think Max made himself a lot of money tonight,” Butler said.
The Heat can exceed the cap to re-sign Strus up to his maximum salary because they hold his Bird rights. Comparable shooter Joe Harris signed a four-year, $72MM contract with the Nets in the 2020 offseason, Chiang notes. Strus’ teammate Duncan Robinson received a five-year, $90MM deal in 2021.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Hawks were down by 30 at halftime of their 13-point loss to Boston in Game 1. They’ll have to improve greatly to make it a series but coach Quin Snyder was encouraged by his team’s second-half effort. “The mental toughness to win a series in this league is significant,” Snyder said, per Jeff Schultz of The Athletic. “We have to demonstrate that, and I think we did.”
- Wizards guard Johnny Davis didn’t resemble a lottery pick most of his rookie season and spent a good portion of it in the G League. However, there were some encouraging signs after the All-Star break, Ava Wallace of the Washington Post notes. In the 13 NBA games Davis played before the All-Star break, he averaged 1.2 points in 4.7 minutes. In the 15 games he played after the break, he averaged 9.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 24.1 minutes. “Definitely a lot of ups and downs,” Davis said.
- Wizards owner Ted Leonsis needs to turn up the heat on front executives, the coaching staff and his star players, David Aldridge of The Athletic opines. Leonsis must hold everyone accountable as the franchise continues to wallow in mediocrity. GM Tommy Sheppard and coach Wes Unseld Jr. need to produce results next season or else lose their jobs, Aldridge adds.