Heat wing Max Strus is entering free agency and an Eastern Conference foe is reportedly looking to lure him away from Miami.
Coming into the NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers were rumored to be trying to trade the No. 7 pick to upgrade on the wings. Nothing, however, materialized from that on draft night.
So now it appears the Pacers are looking to free agency to make that happen.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Pacers are looking to pursue Miami Heat wing Max Strus at the start of free agency. Indiana is trying to expedite their rebuild after having Tyrese Haliburton turn into an All-Star and Bennedict Mathurin emerging as one of the best rookies this past season.
Along with those two pieces, the Pacers have some other quality players on good contracts. Buddy Hield and Myles Turner are better-than-solid starters on acceptable contracts for the next couple of years. After failing to make a trade for a wing in the draft, Indiana also ended up drafting Jarace Walker ,who could be very fun in an offense that is led by Haliburton.
Stein added in his reported that Indiana will be looking to make an offer of around $48 million over the next three years to the veteran player. This will probably be more than the Heat offer Strus due to the fact that Miami is facing a luxury tax crunch. Still, Strus might end up signing with the Heat for another chance to win a title and with the state of Florida being a no-tax state.
NBA Rumors: Pacers targeting Max Strus in free agency
If the Pacers were to add Strus, this would eliminate a lot of their cap space. They would probably not be able to get any additional marquee-free agents if they signed Strus. However, it would still be possible for Indiana to add a player that plays low-level rotational minutes for the team.
Overall, that could be a good strategy for the Pacers due to the fact that they already have a nice core.
If Walker isn't a total bust, signing Strus would make them a no-doubt playoff team for the 2023-24 season — not a team that would end up making the Play-In Tournament, but a team that could end up as a low No. 5 or 6 seed in the Eastern Conference.