The Indiana Pacers have been urged to consider a trade for a sharpshooting wing.
Heading into the 2026 NBA offseason, the Indiana Pacers know that they're going to need to get creative to make improvements.
After losing their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade, there are only a couple of avenues for Kevin Pritchard to make moves. He could pursue a free agent or the trade market could become a priority.
More than likely, the Pacers are heading into what will end up being a relatively quiet offseason. However, there is always a chance that Pritchard and company decide to swing big.
It seems to be a more likely scenario that Indiana will target a trade to improve. Keeping that in mind, an interesting suggestion has been made for the Pacers.
Sports Illustrated's Alex Golden has named Cleveland Cavaliers sharpshooter Max Strus as a potential option for Indiana on the trade market.
"Defensively, Strus plays with a high motor and thrives more within a team scheme than as an individual lockdown defender. He spent portions of last season hounding Tyrese Haliburton full court and made several impactful plays throughout the series," Golden wrote.
"Strus is on an expiring contract, recently turned 30 years old, and has appeared in 78 playoff games, including a trip to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat in 2023."
Would the Cavaliers actually have interest in trading with the Pacers? Moving Strus to Indiana could come back to bite Cleveland when all is said and done.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, Strus played in 12 games and made five starts. He averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and two assists per game, while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor and 40.2 percent from three-point range.
So far during the Cavaliers' playoff run, Strus has played in 14 games and made three starts. He has produced 10.1 points per game to go along with 5.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Obviously, this is just an idea for Indiana. There have been no reports about potential trade targets for the Pacers, nor have their been any reports about Cleveland being open to moving on from Strus.
That being said, Indiana could use more high-level perimeter shooting around Tyrese Haliburton. Strus would add just that.
Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding the Pacers as the offseason gets underway. For a team that pushed the Oklahoma City Thunder to Game 7 of the NBA Finals last season, they could be one move away from their first NBA championship.