As the offseason settles into the quiet, I’m taking a Warriors-centric look at Northwest Division. Let’s chat about those Denver Nuggets. They let 23-year old baller Peyton Watson walk and added a 37-year-old DeMar DeRozan. Watson signed a four-year, $22 million deal with Cleveland in a sign-and-trade while Denver told itself Watson’s number was too rich to match. This is a difficult blow for Nuggets’ supporters who watched Watson develop into a solid piece for a Denver team not far removed from that 2023 NBA title parade: Losing Watson is tough to swallow, there’s no way around that. Regardless of where one falls on their opinion of whether $22 million a season (and the much larger tax penalties) is worth it for Watson, the immediate return of a first and second round draft pick years in the future doesn’t inspire much hope in Denver’s immediate prospects to get a second ring with Jokic. Nor does it inspire a lot of belief that the organization truly prioritizes winning another championship with the greatest player in franchise history. Certainly those draft picks can help the Nuggets make further moves to improve the roster but the more likely scenario, at this moment at least, feels like those picks will just be used to offload more salary and further reduce the Nuggets tax penalties. Watson has been establishing himself as a strong defensive option that could be trusted to take on the responsibilities of star assignments. His absence will absolutely be felt on that end. Denver is replacing that on the roster with DeRozan, who averaged better than 18 points a game last season in Sacramento on a team that spent the season in the cellar. He’s a bucket getter, no argument there. But don’t take my word for it, just ask the Denver Stiff blog: The Nuggets will want DeRozan ready for the playoffs as well so he’ll play plenty next to Joker so that he too can acclimate to having a center as the hub of the offense, but the Nuggets desperately need an on-ball presence with the bench who can score without Jokic – and with almost 27,000 points in his career DeMar can absolutely score. His True Shooting Percentage of .594 last year showed he can keep his efficiency up as well, something else that will play extremely well in Denver. Honestly I’m not even mad at it. Demar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic should work extremely well together. Spacing should be incredible, because DeRozan draws doubles into the post. And guys DeMar DeRozan is still incredible lol pic.twitter.com/WMhJOlrkPVhttps://t.co/mYqNAE1Jic— Yaxel LendeBeast (@GMZeroOG) August 21, 2026 Interestingly, it looks like Denver’s core had a lot to do with DeRozan choosing the Nuggets from among his suitors. Chris Haynes says that Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray all talked with DeRozan about joining the team. Having another vet who has been through big moments will be huge. Denver still has Jokic and him alone keeps them alive in every series they play. But we’ve seen the Joker can’t do it all without getting impactful support from his teammates. I can imagine Joker operating from the three-point line, firing a great pass to DeRozan on the wing and then clearing out space for him with the defender on an island. It’s definitely gonna be tough for the Dubs to defend that, which could be an important subplot come playoff time if the Warriors actually make it this year. Defensively though? I’m very curious how they are gonna hold up. Oh you got past Jamal Murray on defense? Well here's Demar DeRozan ready to slide over to help. Oh you just ran past DeMar DeRozan too? No worries, we have Nikola Jokic ready to contest the shot Oh you just scored a uncontested layup because Nikola Jokic didn't want to defend? https://t.co/GH21N7Lj3g— rodlo 🪬 (@roddystr) August 21, 2026

The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering the 2026-27 season with a roster that already proved it can win at a high level. Cleveland won 52 games...

Last postseason, Aaron Gordon pushed himself to play through an injury to get back on the court for Denver, but it wasn't enough for Denver as it got bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Minnesota. Peyton Watson did not play in that series after suffering a hamstring injury in February that lingered through the final months of the season and the playoffs. Watson was heading into free agency this summer — he just completed a sign-and-trade that gets him to Cleveland with a new four-year, $88 million contract — and the decision for him not to play in the postseason was to protect him from himself, Watson’s agent Rich Paul said on his Game Over podcast (hat tip Real GM). "You've got to remember, he didn't finish the season. He didn't play in the playoffs. He was dealing with a hamstring injury, soft tissue injury. And when you're dealing with those injuries, you have to be very careful in your return. Guys want to play, and you have to protect them from themselves in that moment. Because you're up for a contract and it's the playoffs, and I've had a pretty good year, so I need to play. And it's important to protect that." There were reports during the playoffs that other Nuggets teammates were frustrated with Watson for not pushing through his injury to play. Now we know why. Paul's answer also may not sit well with Nuggets fans, especially in the wake of what Gordon did, but it's also what an agent should be doing — looking out for the long-term health and what is best for his client. It's fair to wonder if one reason the Nuggets didn't meet Watson's salary demands — which were less than what they paid Christian Brown the summer before — was that he didn't push to get on the court for the playoffs. Although the larger issue was Denver's finances, it remains over the second apron. Cleveland needs him on the court this playoffs, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, they need his perimeter defense. His offensive game stepped up for a stretch last season, now Watson needs to show that wasn't an excuse.

DeRozan aterriza en Denver, Klay apunta a Miami y Cleveland mueve ficha con Watson y Harden en un mercado NBA que vuelve a agitar el verano.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Peyton Watson is heading from Denver to Cleveland as part of a four-team trade that will also have the Cavaliers sending Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers. A person familiar with the trade said Wednesday night that Watson, a restricted free agent who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Nuggets, will sign a four-year contract with the Cavaliers worth $88 million that includes a player option and trade kicker. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. Cleveland will send to Denver an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round selection from the Sacramento Kings that it got after making a trade in June’s NBA draft. The Nuggets will also acquire Julian Reese from Washington. The Cavaliers are getting a 2027 second-round pick from the Clippers, but that will be sent to the Wizards. The 23-year-old Watson started a career-high 40 games last season and averaged career bests in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9) and assists (2.1). He gives the Cavaliers the wing player they were looking for after LeBron James signed with Philadelphia instead of returning to Cleveland for a third stint. Besides Watson, the Cavaliers were also looking at free agents DeMar DeRozan and Jonathan Kuminga. Strus and Dean Wade were the primary starters at small forward last season. Wade signed with Philadelphia during free agency. Strus missed the first 67 games last season due to a broken left foot, but had some big baskets and steals during the playoffs as Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2018. The Cavaliers were swept in that series by the New York Knicks. Cleveland laid the groundwork for a move last week when it traded Dennis Schroder to Charlotte for Tre Mann to gain salary cap space. Mann’s time in Cleveland won’t last long; he’s headed to Washington for Cam Whitmore.

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 29: Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets dribbles the ball during the first half against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on November 29, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Nuggets defeated the Suns 130-112. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Cleveland Cavaliers have finally made their big move of the offseason. After a month and a half of speculation, the Cavs now have an answer at small forward: Peyton Watson. The soon-to-be 24-year-old, 6’8” wing is coming off the best season of his career with the Denver Nuggets. Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game in 54 contests. Those 14.6 points per game were six and a half more than he averaged the year before. That jump is mostly due to his growth as a shooter. Watson connected on 41.1% of his 3.6 three-point attempts last regular season and 36.8% of them in the playoffs. This included converting 52% of his three-point looks from the corner (97th percentile). That three-point shooting is coupled with being an outstanding defender for his position. Watson does a great job of using his size and athleticism to effectively guard one through four. This should make him an incredibly good fit in a frontcourt anchored by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Support us and Let ‘Em Know with Homage! Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can buy the Believeland shirt HERE. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The Cavs had to pay a premium for getting Watson to come to Cleveland. ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that the Cavs will be sending out Max Strus, an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, Tre Mann, cash, and a second-round pick to complete the deal. This will end up being a three-team deal with the first-rounder going to Denver and Strus reuniting with Darius Garland on the Los Angeles Clippers. Watson is also signing for a four-year, $88 million deal in Cleveland, which includes a player option. Strus spent three years with the Cavs and was a starting small forward for most of that time. He played a large role both on and off the court. Strus averaged 11 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 132 games with the Cavs over the last three seasons. Cleveland doesn’t own their 2027, 2029, and now 2031 first-round picks. They also still owe a pick swap for their 2028 first as part of the Donovan Mitchell trade with the Utah Jazz. The Cavs have been looking for a permanent answer at starting forward for years. They thought they had something with De’Andre Hunter when they traded for him in 2025, before dealing him the following season. We’ll see if Watson ends up being the long-term solution.