The Cleveland Cavaliers finally made their big move of the summer by acquiring Peyton Watson in a massive five-team deal from the Denver Nuggets. They sent Denis Schröder to the Charlotte Hornets, Max Strus to the LA Clippers, and a 2031 first-round pick to the Nuggets to get the 23-year-old. Watson is coming off a breakout season with the Nuggets in which he averaged 14.6 points, 41.1% shooting from deep, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game before missing time with a hamstring injury.
Watson adds youth, size, and athleticism to a Cavs team that has struggled to find the right wing to connect their two star guards and bigs. After losing Dean Wade in free agency, the addition of Watson fills a big hole on the Cavs’ roster and adds an intriguing new layer to the team.
For the Raptors, it’s yet another completed move by an Eastern Conference team while their own trade for Kawhi Leonard is still on hold. If Leonard joins the Raptors for the 2026-27 season, Toronto, the Cavs, and several other teams will be competing for the top playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Cavs’ moves matter especially because they eliminated the Raptors from the playoffs this year and Toronto will undoubtedly be looking for revenge next season. In that light, Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor’s assessment of the two teams is encouraging.
“I still don’t have as much belief in the Cleveland Cavaliers as much as I do in the Raptors with Kawhi Leonard,” O’Connor said on the August 20 episode of his podcast.
Kawhi Leonard promises to make the Raptors a scary Eastern Conference force
Kawhi Leonard comes with serious availability concerns. He has only played 60 games twice since leaving Toronto in 2019, suffered an ACL tear not too long ago, and found little playoff success with the Clippers. Still, the expectations for his impact with the Raptors are high.
If Leonard joins the team and is healthy enough to play around 60 games, the Raptors may not be quite on the same level as the New York Knicks, who have an experienced and proven championship squad, but they will be a team no one wants to face.
Their defensive potential is through the roof. The Raptors were already excellent defensively last season and forced a ton of turnovers. Replacing Brandon Ingram with Kawhi Leonard, even at 35, will only make them scarier defensively. Trying to score on a lineup of Jamal Shead, Ja’Kobe Walter, Kawhi Leonard, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles will give the rest of the NBA nightmares all season long.
On the other end of the floor, Leonard would give the Raptors the offensive creator and go-to scorer they were missing last season.
The biggest knocks on the Cavs after trading for Peyton Watson is their lack of depth behind a strong starting five and some serious questions about their guard defense. Depth could also end up becoming a problem for the Raptors. They are relying heavily on a trio of second- and third-year players to lead the charge off the bench and have no true quality backup center behind Jakob Poeltl. But if everything clicks between the starting five and top reserves, the Raptors could easily outplay the Cavs and some other strong Eastern Conference teams.
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