The Cavaliers didn’t just add Peyton Watson for athletic pop. They also changed the shape of their off-ball game, and that matters after sending out Max Strus.
Watson should fit cleanly into a loaded starting group with James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. His transition work jumps off the page, too.
The former Nugget posted 1.32 Points Per Possession in transition, the best mark in Denver by a wide margin, and he arrives off a breakout season in which he hit more than 41.1% of his three-point tries. He was one of the league’s best corner threats.
But Cleveland also gave up one of its most relentless movers. Strus was nearly always in motion, constantly threatening defenses with backdoor cuts and off-screen shooting.
Whether the shots fell or not, he forced opponents to chase him and stay locked into his movement. That kind of off-ball gravity does not replace itself easily.
That’s where Sam Merrill comes in.
Merrill scored 1.48 PPP as a cutter in 2025-26, good for third on the team. Only Donovan Mitchell, at 77.4%, and Thomas Bryant, at 83.8%, were more efficient than Merrill’s 75.0% clip on 21-for-28 cutting chances.
And the production only tells part of the story. His movement bends defenses.
He ranked in the 99th percentile in off-ball gravity in 2025-26, finishing fifth out of 582 qualifying players. The reason is obvious enough: he shot 42.1% from deep last season, which ranked 11th in the NBA.
Defenses can’t ignore that kind of shooter, and Merrill keeps them busy in all the ways that matter. He scored a team-best 1.28 Points Per Possession coming off picks and landed in the 96th percentile in off-screen impact per 75.
That constant attention creates openings for everyone else. When Merrill is running off screens, cutting baseline, or slipping in on a backdoor, defenders have to choose what to give up. He’s especially effective on 45 cuts, where he can punish even a moment of hesitation.
That versatility is what makes him such a useful piece in Kenny Atkinson’s rotation. With Watson helping the starting five move and flow, Cleveland still needs Merrill’s off-ball craft more than ever now that Strus is gone.
In Other News...
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Cavaliers fans heading into this season have a little more flexibility than they might expect when it comes to watching the teams non-nationally televised games. Cleveland partnered with DAZN for local broadcasts this year, with Rock Entertainment Group handling the production, but the setup is not an all-or-nothing proposition for viewers trying to keep costs down.
DAZNs multi-device plan now runs $25, yet 31 of the Cavs 82 games will be available without that full subscription, either for free or through cheaper options such as Peacock and Amazon Prime Video. In practical terms, nearly 40% of the schedule should be reachable through cable TV or other streaming services, a sign that more NBA teams are looking for ways to widen local access without forcing fans into one pricey platform. [Read more 🡒]
Cavaliers Brought Back A Familiar Shooter For A Reason
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For teams building out the back end of the roster, these deals are as much about rights and development as they are about immediate NBA help. The Pelicans handling of Johnny ONeil and the Warriors Exhibit 10 signings of Chance McMillian and Deivon Smith are reminders of how often clubs use these transactions to steer players toward their G League affiliates, and McNeils situation suggests Cleveland sees value in keeping that pipeline open as camp approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Iman Shumpert Just Reopened A Painful Cavaliers What-If
Iman Shumpert has never sounded like a man eager to let the 2016 NBA Finals fade quietly into history. In revisiting Kevin Durants decision to join the Warriors, Shumpert went straight at the move that helped turn the leagues next few years into a Cavs-Rangers of the West saga, framing it as the kind of choice that cost Cleveland a chance at adding more hardware after its title run.
For Cavaliers fans, it is the sort of reminder that still stings because the alternate path always felt close enough to imagine. The championships that followed, the head-to-head stakes and the lasting debate over what might have happened if Durant had gone elsewhere have kept that era alive far beyond the final buzzer, and LeBron James recent move to Philadelphia with his declaration that it will be his final NBA stop only adds another layer to how that stretch of Cavs history gets remembered. [Read more 🡒]