Peyton Watson didn’t have Cleveland circled at the start of free agency, but once the Cavaliers got involved, the appeal was obvious to him. Introduced Thursday at the team’s training facility as a new member of the Cavs, the restricted free agent wing said the opportunity to play behind Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley made the fit stand out.
“I feel like it just gives me a lot more leeway and a lot more rope to be more aggressive defensively,” Watson said. “I think playing the passing lanes more aggressively and really push up on guys more knowing that I have that back line behind me and I have elite rim protection in JA and Evan. I think it makes our team a threat defensively because we can play very aggressive and very physical while at the same time not giving up too many shots at the rim.”
Watson is coming off a breakout year in Denver, where he set career bests across the board in 2025/26: 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, along with shooting splits of .491/.411/.730. Cleveland saw enough in that jump to believe he can help right away, and president of basketball operations Koby Altman said the 24-year-old still has room to grow.
“We’re really excited about what he’s going to bring to the table right away, but I think even more than that, his best basketball is ahead of him,” Altman said, per Reedy. “He’s going to help us win some games, but I’m also really excited about his trajectory with us.”
Elsewhere in the East, the Raptors made their coaching changes official on Thursday, announcing that Stephen Silas has been hired as an assistant, as had been reported in July. Jeremy Castleberry is also back on Toronto’s staff; he has worked closely with Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, Toronto and Los Angeles after playing with him at San Diego State.
The Magic are bringing in Ronnie Burrell to run their G League team, the Osceola Magic, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Burrell spent the last two seasons as a Trail Blazers assistant after several years with the Nets, and he was named G League Coach of the Year in 2022/23 after guiding Brooklyn’s affiliate, the Long Island Nets, to a 23-9 regular season.
And in New York, ESPN’s Zach Kram pointed to Landry Shamet’s four-year, $24MM contract and Jose Alvarado’s three-year, $14.4MM deal as two of the summer’s best value signings, though he still handed the Knicks a B-minus offseason grade because of a backup center downgrade tied to second-apron concerns.
In Other News...
DeMar DeRozan Just Reminded Raptors Fans What Toronto Still Means To Him
Kyle Lowrys retirement celebration got rolling in Toronto with a golf event that brought teammates past and present together, and DeMar DeRozan was right in the middle of it. For Raptors fans, seeing those two back in the same orbit carried some extra weight. DeRozan spent nine seasons with Toronto and remains the franchise leader in games played and points, so any gathering tied to Lowrys farewell inevitably circles back to what that era meant for the organization.
Lowrys jersey will be retired on Jan. 10, and DeRozan plans to be there for the ceremony. It is another reminder that, even years after the breakup of that run, the bonds from those Raptors teams still run deep. Toronto has never really stopped mattering to DeRozan, and his presence around Lowrys celebration only sharpened the sense that the franchises most memorable stretch is still very much a living part of the present. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Fans Have One Big Reason To Watch This Veteran Rumor
Kevin Loves name is back in the mix around Toronto, and it is easy to see why the idea has caught on. The five-time All-Star and former NBA champion was at a Raptors event in the city, and with the team still carrying an open roster spot, he fits the kind of low-risk veteran conversation that tends to surface this time of year.
From Torontos perspective, the appeal is straightforward: extra rebounding, a steady voice in the locker room, and a player who has been around enough pressure to help set a tone. Love remains a free agent, and while no deal has been announced, the Raptors have at least left the door open to a possible fit if they decide veteran presence is worth one of the final spots on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Raptors Cap Squeeze Just Made One Unlikely Guard Matter A Lot
After swinging a major trade for Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors are now working through the less glamorous part of team-building: making the roster fit under the cap. Those constraints have turned a lot of attention toward Jaden Bradley, a 2023 second-round pick on a two-way contract, because his place in the organization comes with far more financial flexibility than most of the other options on the board.
Bradley is also in the mix for a basketball reason, not just a cap one. Toronto wants more backcourt depth behind its primary guards, and Bradley is viewed as a potential backup point guard who can help stabilize the second unit if the team keeps leaning in his direction. In a summer defined by balancing talent with dollars, a young guard like Bradley can end up carrying more importance than anyone expected. [Read more 🡒]