Max Strus Tears Plantar Fascia, Will Miss Start of Clippers Season
Five minutes into his Clippers debut, Max Strus suffered a partial plantar fascia tear in his right foot, a year after a left-foot fracture cost him 67 games.
Max Strus's introduction to the Clippers lasted five minutes. Per ESPN, five minutes into Sunday's preseason game against the Warriors in Honolulu, the wing went down on a non-contact play, and on Monday the injury was confirmed as a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot, one that will sideline him through the start of the season.
The Injury in the Moment
Per ESPN, Strus cut across the lane to receive a pass, pulled up and struggled to put weight on his right foot. His night was over almost before it began: five minutes, zero points on 0-for-1 shooting and one rebound, per ESPN's box score. The Clippers still won the game 104-101, per ESPN. On Monday, 5 October, the diagnosis was announced: a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot. Per ESPN, he will be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks and will miss the remainder of the preseason and the start of the regular season. Coach Ty Lue, per HoopsHype, said: "That's never good to see when it's a non contact play."
The Second Foot Injury in Two Seasons
This is Strus's second major foot injury in consecutive seasons, though the two injuries are to different feet. Last year, he underwent surgery on 26 August 2025 for a Jones fracture in his left foot while with the Cleveland Cavaliers, per ESPN. That surgery sidelined him for the first 67 games of the 2025-26 season. When he returned on 15 March 2026, the impact was immediate. In his season debut for the Cavaliers, Strus scored 24 points in 23 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting, including 6-of-7 from three-point range, against Dallas, per ESPN.
| Date | Team | Opponent | Min | Pts | FG | 3P | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Oct 2026 | Clippers | Warriors (preseason) | 5 | 0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | Right plantar fascia tear |
| 15 Mar 2026 | Cavaliers | Mavericks | 23 | 24 | 7-9 | 6-7 | Return from left-foot Jones fracture |
The Trade to Los Angeles
Strus arrived in Los Angeles on 19 August 2026 in a five-team trade that also involved the Cavaliers, Nuggets, Wizards and Hornets, per ESPN. He is on a $16.6 million contract that expires after the 2026-27 season, per HoopsHype, which makes him a free agent in the summer of 2027. That makes this a contract year, and the first weeks of it will now be spent in rehabilitation rather than on the court.
Who Replaces Him
The Clippers open the regular season on 21 October against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome, per NBA.com. Without Strus, they will lean on the wings and guards already on their depth chart. Per ESPN, those names include Keaton Wagler, Gradey Dick, Blake Wesley, Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Bradley Beal. Which of them will take on an expanded role is not yet clear; reporting so far has not identified a specific plan for Strus's minutes.
The Road Ahead
Strus faces re-evaluation in roughly four weeks, meaning he will miss at least the first stretch of the 2026-27 season. For a player who spent most of last season sidelined by a foot injury in Cleveland, this setback extends a frustrating run. How quickly he can get back, and whether he can recapture the shooting he showed in his March comeback, will shape both the Clippers' wing rotation and his own free-agent case next summer.