After striking out on all the biggest names this summer (including LeBron James), it looked like the Cleveland Cavaliers would have to settle for running it back with the same roster as last season. But after their latest move, the Cavaliers may be poised for another dominant run in the East.
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Cavaliers have just pulled off a trade for young swingman Peyton Watson. The deal, announced on Wednesday, also sends Max Strus to the Clippers and two future picks to the Nuggets.
“Cleveland, Denver, and the Clippers have agreed on a trade sending Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to LA, and an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Kings second-rounder to the Nuggets,” reported ESPN’s Shams Charania. “Watson will sign a new four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers, plus a player option and a trade kicker.”
There are many moving parts to this trade, but Peyton Watson is the centerpiece of the deal. The 6’8″ forward was one of the best players on the restricted free agent market, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on 49.1% shooting from the field. He played a critical role for the Nuggets, serving as a reliable two-way player on the wing. Despite his contributions, the Nuggets were not keen on paying him upwards of $20 million per year, leading them to pursue sign-and-trade opportunities.
In Cleveland, Watson is the perfect fit to fill their weakest position. While he may not have the same impact as LeBron, he’s much younger and requires less work to integrate his game. Alongside Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley, he could help the Cavaliers make a push for the NBA Finals. Best of all, he only cost them Max Strus, who was more than expendable anyway.
For the Nuggets, losing Peyton Watson is a notable downgrade, and they will likely lean more on guys like Christian Braun and Cam Johnson going forward. Still, landing two draft picks in the deal (a 2031 Cavs first and a 2032 second-round pick from the Clippers) is a nice consolation prize. If they don’t use the picks on prospects, they could use them in a package for a trade down the road. The big thing for the Nuggets is that they have avoided overpaying Watson, preserving what little flexibility they have.
Finally, there’s the Clippers. They didn’t give up any players in the deal, but that second-round pick was enough to land them Max Strus. The seven-year veteran likely won’t be starting in LA, but he can provide a spark off the bench with averages of 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game on 44.3% shooting in 2025-26.
In many ways, this trade is yet another result of the NBA’s new CBA. Under the new guidelines, which place heavy restrictions on teams that go over the cap, overpaying players is a major handicap to team building, and it forces GMs to be more thoughtful about who they are giving big extensions to. For the Nuggets, paying Watson what he wanted was far from ideal given their obligations to Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, but replacing him may not be so easy.
