Five-Team Deal Lands Peyton Watson With Cavaliers, Strus With Clippers
The NBA offseason is in full swing, and we’ve seen several blockbuster deals take place over the last several weeks. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown. Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Walker Kessler, and LaMelo Ball are among the big names that changed squads during that span.
On Wednesday night, we saw a massive five-team deal that moved pieces around teams in various stages of contention or rebuilding. Let’s take a look at what went down and the potential impact.
The Trade
Cleveland Receives: Peyton Watson, Cam Whitmore
Denver Receives: Unprotected 1st round pick in 2031 (from Cleveland), 2032 second round pick (Sacramento’s selection), Julian Reese
LA Clippers Receive: Max Strus
Washington Receives: Tre Mann, 2027 second-round pick (LA Clippers pick conveyed through Cleveland), cash
Charlotte Receives: Dennis Schroder, cash
The Fallout
Denver
Denver was in a tight situation cap-wise. Even with this trade, the Nuggets still stand $1.3 million over the second cap apron. They created a trade exception as part of the deal. However, since they are over the second apron, they can’t use it or exceed it because this is a sign-and-trade deal. The Nuggets did get a first-round pick in the deal, which is helpful, as they had no tradable firsts in their war chest prior to it. They could use that pick as part of a deal elsewhere. As for Reese, the Nuggets plan on waiving him, leaving a second open roster spot.
Cleveland
Watson gets a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cavaliers and slots in as the starter at small forward, more than likely. He comes off a career year and looks to prove he can do it again, albeit with a different supporting cast. Cleveland has to hope that he pans out, as they are handcuffed when it comes to making deals involving picks. Utah owns its 2027 and 2029 first-round picks from the Donovan Mitchell deal. In addition, the Jazz have the right to a pick swap in 2028. Whitmore is likely a depth piece in the rotation.
LA Clippers
The Clippers add Strus, a capable perimeter shooter, to their rotation. He is a career 37% shooter from beyond the arc and provides a capable bench scoring option for LA. With Brandon Ingram the likely starter at small forward, Strus can step in as a leader of the second unit for the Clippers, providing a spark offensively. The cost factor was reasonable, as they only coughed up a second-round selection they acquired last month. Strus has a $16.6 million salary this season, so it’s a good deal for the Clippers.
Washington/Charlotte
For Washington and Charlotte, they were more involved in helping with the logistics of the deal. The Wizards get a capable backup guard in Mann. He’ll likely back up Trae Young and could step in should Young go down with an injury for any period of time. Picks never hurt a team, so having an extra chip helps the Wizards down the line.
Meanwhile, Charlotte adds Schroder, basketball’s version of Josh Johnson or Josh McCown. The Hornets are his 12th NBA stop and his seventh since the 2023-24 campaign. Charlotte needed some depth at the point guard spot after shuttling Ball to Minnesota in the deal that brought Julius Randle and Naz Reid back. Schroder likely sees decent minutes for the Hornets as only Coby White (who isn’t a true point guard) and rookie Christian Anderson are on the depth chart at the spot. However, his stay in Charlotte could be short as he’s been dealt ahead of the trade deadline four of the last five seasons.
Current Championship Odds
After the deal took place, let’s take a look at the respective odds of winning the NBA title for each of the five franchises.
These odds are current as of Thursday, August 20, at 1:30 pm ET and are courtesy of DraftKings.
- Cavaliers, +2200
- Nuggets, +2500
- Hornets, +10000
- Wizards, +15000
- Clippers, +50000
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