Max Strus on rumors surrounding Heat: ‘How can you not want a guy like Kevin Durant?’
If a trade for Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant or another star doesn’t materialize in the coming months, the Miami Heat’s best chance of taking another step forward next season will come through internal improvement.
Center Bam Adebayo, 25, and guard Tyler Herro, 22, will be at the center of the Heat’s internal improvement plan as rising stars who are coming off career-best seasons.
But another member of the Heat’s young core who will be expected to build on a career-best season is wing Max Strus.
“I try not to get too into it,” Strus said, during a Tuesday appearance at Jr. Heat Basketball Camp at FTX Arena, of the Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade rumors that continue to surround the Heat. “Obviously you see it, and people ask you about it. But I’ll wait until it happens. If something happens, it happens.
“But, yeah, how can you not want a guy like Kevin Durant? He’s a once-in-a-generation type player and great player in the game and one of the best of all time. I’m excited to see what happens and I hope the best for him and the best for our team, that’s all that really matters.”
Strus, 26, averaged career highs in points (10.6), rebounds (3), assists (1.4) and minutes (23.3) while shooting a career-best 41 percent on 6.5 three-point attempts per game in 68 regular-season games (16 starts) in his second full NBA season after going undrafted out of DePaul in 2019.
Strus moved into the starting lineup in the final weeks of this past regular season and started throughout the playoff run. But with guard Herro hoping to be promoted to a starting role this upcoming season, Strus will work in training camp to prove he deserves to remain a starter.
“Every day you’ve got to earn that respect and earn that position,” Strus said. “That doesn’t come easily in the NBA. So I understand that and I’m still working hard to keep proving myself and to be a longtime starter in the NBA.”
Strus’ breakout year came one season after spending the 2020-21 campaign on a two-way contract with the Heat and two seasons after tearing the ACL in his left knee.
“It has been crazy when you think about it like that,” Strus said. “But I try not to. I kind of just try to live in the moment and just take each milestone, each step one day at a time. So I try to enjoy each step of the way and just be happy for every moment and celebrate each success I have.”
Strus’ $1.8 million salary with the Heat for next season became guaranteed earlier this summer. He’s one of 12 players from the Heat’s season-ending roster who are currently on the roster for this upcoming season, which includes 13 players signed to standard contracts.
The only new face is rookie forward Nikola Jovic, who was selected by Miami with the 27th overall pick in last month’s draft. And the lone member of last season’s Heat playoff rotation who is elsewhere is forward P.J. Tucker, who left to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency.
On the surface, it seems like the Heat has taken a step back by making no outside free agent additions and losing Tucker. But Strus doesn’t view it that way, especially because the roster the Heat is bringing back finished just one win short of reaching the NBA Finals last season.
“We’re bringing back a good majority of the people we had on our team, so I think people get used to selling us short,” Strus said. “We hear that every summer. And we use it as momentum. So I’m excited for this group and to get it together with the guys in training camp and see what we have. And I think returning these guys and what we got back, I think we’ll be all right.”
Whatever happens, the Heat’s current roster is moving forward like they will all be back together again next season.
Strus was in Las Vegas recently to support the Heat’s summer league squad along with teammates Gabe Vincent and Herro. Then Vincent and Heat veteran Udonis Haslem traveled to Chicago to make an appearance at Strus’ youth basketball camp held in his hometown.
“U.D. texts me all the time that he wanted to come to my camp and he wanted to show support,” Strus said. “So I think we all learn from him and really learn what it means to be a true professional and great teammate. So to have him, it’s huge for us in our locker room. That’s just how we all are. We all love each other and celebrate each other’s successes and want to be around each other. And you can’t ask for anything more in a team like that.”
