Cavaliers acquire Peyton Watson from Denver

     The Cleveland Cavaliers may have failed in their pursuit of LeBron James, but their backup plan may end up paying more dividends in the long run after acquiring Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a five team trade that added the previously reported deal with Charlotte which included Dennis Schoeder and Tre Mann.

Cleveland added Watson, and Cam Whitmore from Washington and traded Mann (acquired from Charlotte for Schoeder) and a 2027 second rounders (Clippers) to Washington, sent Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers, and their 2031 unprotected first round selection to Denver.

Watson was the final pick of the first round of the 2022 draft out of UCLA by Oklahoma City but has spent his four year career with the Denver Nuggets,

Last season was the breakout season for Watson, who averaged 14 points per game, shooting 49 percent and 41 percent from three-point range.

The rangy 6'8 forward provides both offensive and defensive upside and at 24 (at season's start), Watson is just entering his prime seasons.

If Watson can make another jump similar to his leap last season, he could eventually become an All-Star caliber player.

Watson is under contract for the next three seasons and should step into the startling lineup at the small forward position.

Cam Whitmore could be waived by the Cavaliers, but if he's not, he's an intriging addition.

Whitmore was the 20th pick overall by the Rockets in 2023 from Villanova and spent last season with Washington, averaging nine points and just under three rebounds in twenty-one games due to a shoulder injury.

Whitmore makes over five million per season and his salary on a team that has to stretch every penny at this stage seems to point to Whitmore not spending his season in Cleveland.

Losing Max Strus is a mixed bag for me.

Strus can be extremely effective when he has a hot streak and he's noted for being a plus in the locker room

However, his shot is streaky and I've never loved his defense although it was more due to his limited athletic ability than a lack of effort.

With Strus leaving and the previous departure of Dean Wade, the Cavaliers have removed the two players who frustrated me most from the roster.

Considering the Cavaliers have traded so many future first rounders, trading another one five years down the road does cause some concern but considering the team's all-in status, I can understand the team's decision to move a first rounder at this time.   

Cavaliers trade JaVale McGee to Denver, Drummond to be bought out

  The Cleveland Cavaliers attempted to make several deals as the trade deadline approached, did manage to make one trade happen, but failed in their effort to assemble the one trade that they wanted to happen most.

Andre Drummond wasn't moved as the Cavaliers had hoped and the team has started to talk buyout with the veteran center, which is why teams that were interested, didn't trade for him (although there were teams rumored to be interested that couldn't match up under the salary cap) and will leave the Cavaliers allowing Drummond to walk without a return.

The Andre Drummond experiment didn't work out in the end after acquiring him at last year's deadline from the Pistons for a second-round pick, Brandon Knight, and John Henson, but it didn't really harm much other than Dan Gilbert's wallet- that was hit to a pro-rated tune of close to thirty million for Drummond's 2020-21 time in Cleveland.

Drummond didn't play badly, and although some may disagree with me, I didn't see the attitude problems on the court that others did.

Drummond was productive (17.5 PPG, 13.5 RBG), but watching the offense it's easy to see how Drummond's stats can be considered soft ones as he cannot score away from the post, and defensively, his hunger for rebounds can cause him to chase the ball and leaves the rim wide open

Drummond was redundant from the moment that the Cavaliers were able to involve themselves in the trade between the Rockets and Nets that ended with James Harden in Brooklyn.

When Koby Altman was able to add Jarrett Allen for Dante Exum and two draft picks (both acquired from other teams, not the Cavaliers' own selections), any interest in keeping Andre Drummond floated away.

Drummond is reported to be headed to the Lakers, although the Nets have also been mentioned among a few other teams with interest.

Cleveland had to be pleased with JaVale McGee's play this season.

McGee didn't sulk, always hustled, and had they decided to keep McGee with an attempt to re-sign him at the end of the season (McGee will be a UFA at the end of the season), I wouldn't have complained.

McGee averaged eight points and five rebounds and turned himself into an asset that a contender (such as Denver) would be interested in trading for.

Cleveland received center Isaiah Hartenstein and two future second-rounders in return for McGee.

I know I could be considered "old-school", but I always wonder why these second-rounders are considered so valuable although I can answer my question as they help make trades with the needed minutia under the salary cap.

I do get frustrated with how those choices are eventually used as so many teams select players from outside the United States and a large chunk of the time never even come to a camp as their rights are more valuable to be shuttled from team to team in trades.

The second-rounders are one "protected" although the protections haven't been released to my knowledge, in 2023 and an unprotected in 2027.

Cleveland did acquire one player and in what is a mild surprise in these types of trades, the player is one that the Cavaliers are going to keep around and see how he fits in the overall picture.

Isaiah Hartenstein is a seven-footer that will be given a chance to see what he can contribute as a backup center to Jarrett Allen.

Hartenstein is from Germany and was taken by the Rockets in the second round of the 2017 draft, but did not arrive in the NBA until the following season at the age of 20.

The now 23-year-old center played two seasons with Houston before being released in the off-season and signed with Denver.

In thirty games for the Nuggets, he averaged just over three points and just under three rebounds a game.

In Hartenstein's three seasons in the league, he has played in only eighty-one games, so he's one game away from playing an entire season but took almost three to get there.

Hartenstein isn't a three-point shooter as he has made exactly one three-pointer in his entire career and for this season, he is shooting thirty-eight percent from longer than three FEET!

Hartenstein doesn't look like a standout or someone to build around, but at 23 and the Cavaliers needing a backup big man to replace McGee, he's worth a look for the rest of the season, but I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't around next season for Cleveland.

Hoping to finish my tribute to Joe Tait today, we have a tribute post coming soon and a preview of the one fight for the boxing challenge this Saturday.

Murray Singes Cavaliers for 50

   The Cleveland Cavaliers needed to step their defensive game up after being blown out by the Denver Nuggets in their meeting last week.

Instead, they allowed Denver's Jamal Murray to do something that had never been accomplished in NBA history, which I'm sure wasn't what J.B. Bickerstaff had in mind for his team in a 120-103 loss to the visiting Nuggets.

Collin Sexton's 23 points led the Cavaliers with Jarrett Allen scoring 20 with ten rebounds.

Cleveland lost their ninth game in a row and fell to 10-20 on the season.

The Cavaliers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder Sunday night in Cleveland.

Swashbucklings

1) Jamal Murray did something against the Cleveland defenders that had never previously accomplished in NBA history.

2)  Murray's achievement? Never before had a player scored fifty or more points in a game and did it without one trip to the foul line.

3) Cleveland tried every defender against Murray except Moondog and C.C the Cavalier against Murray and the shots kept falling for Murray, who hit 21 of 25 shots and eight of ten from the beyond the three-point line.

4) The more I see Michael Porter play, the more that I wish that the Cavaliers had taken the risk in the
2018 draft and selected him.

I spent that day tweeting for the Cavaliers to take him and the injury gamble that came with Porter, who had missed almost all of his only year at Missouri.

I'm far from disappointed in Collin Sexton, but Porter may be very special.

5) Issac Okoro scored a career-high 14 points with a career-high three three-pointers.

6) Denver wore their conventional road uniforms rather than their "City" uniforms that the Nuggets wore when the teams first played in Denver.

Those uniforms are a sunset orange version of their 80s "Skyline" uniforms and although they are a little loud, I liked them a lot!