Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Trae Young Believes Max Strus Will Get Big Contract
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The entire basketball universe tuned into last night's Eastern Conference Finals game between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, including Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young. He really is just like us. Young shared his thoughts by live-tweeting throughout the Heat's 109-103 Game Three victory.
As you can see in the tweet above, Young is a fan of Heat shooting guard Max Strus's game. Strus poured in 16 points, shooting 50% from the field and 57.1% from three. The 26-year-old shooting guard has seemingly come out of nowhere.
After going undrafted in 2019, Strus bounced around before signing a training camp contract with Miami in November of 2020 that turned into a two-way deal the following month and was eventually converted to a two-year, $3.5-million contract in August 2021.
Jalen Brunson guarding Max Strus in college.
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
The former DePaul Blue Demon didn't stop there. Strus's playing time gradually increased throughout the 2021-22 season before eventually replacing Duncan Robinson in the Heat rotation. That decision was not made lightly by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley as Robinson signed a five-year, $90 million deal in August of 2021, which is the largest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player.
But that's Heat culture for you. They always find diamonds in the rough and maximize their talents through internal development. However, it's also an egalitarian system that awards playing time to the most deserving players. Just because Robinson got paid a few months ago doesn't mean he's entitled to playing time.
Back to Young's original point. The All-Star point guard is right about Strus's talent. The sharpshooter played a large role in eliminating the Hawks in the first round and the 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, Strus is under contract throughout the 2022-23 season before becoming an unrestricted free agent. So his large payday will have to wait at least one more year. He could get a contract extension, but after what happened with Robinson, it seems unlikely.
What's not unlikely is the Heat's potential to win the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami leads the series 2-1 and is now the favorites to play the winner of the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. Stay locked into AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
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