The Peyton Watson trade took a while to come together, but once it did, the ripple effects reached Philadelphia in a way few would have expected.
Watson is headed to the Cavaliers in a multi-team deal, while the Clippers land Max Strus and the Nuggets come away with draft capital. The 76ers weren’t part of the trade itself, but they were tied to it through a pick they had previously moved to Los Angeles when they shed salary and sent seldom-used big man Johni Broome to the Clippers.
That second-round pick from Philly helped make the rest of the transaction work. In a small but meaningful way, it was part of what nudged Denver into dealing Watson and sending Strus to Hollywood.
For Denver, the move is a striking one. The Nuggets, still built around three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic and another All-NBA player in Jamal Murray, moved on from a restricted free agent they had spent real time developing.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, add a two-way forward in Watson to a group that has already put together back-to-back deep playoff runs. His availability has been a concern, but the fit gives Cleveland another solid piece on the wing.
As for the Clippers, the Johni Broome deal now looks even more connected to the bigger picture. By turning that Philly second-rounder into part of the Watson-Strus framework, LA was able to bring in a win-now shooter in Strus, even if the organization still seems committed to chasing immediate results rather than shifting toward a younger direction. Strus should still help by creating more space for the team’s younger players to work with on the floor.
Philly may not be directly impacted by the trade, but the fact that its former pick is no longer in the Clippers’ hands does matter a little. That second-rounder likely won’t end up as high as it might have otherwise, which lowers the stakes for the 76ers on that front.
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