Introduced as a member of the Cavaliers at his new team’s training facility on Thursday, Peyton Watson acknowledged that Cleveland wasn’t among his initial suitors this offseason. However, as Joe Reedy of The Associated Press details, once the Cavs entered the mix, the fit appealed to the restricted free agent wing, who is looking forward to playing alongside a pair of rim protectors in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

“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 had a breakout season for Denver in 2025/26, setting new career highs in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9), and assists (2.1) per game while improving his shooting line to .491/.411/.730. That performance convinced the Cavs that he’ll be an asset in the short term, and president of basketball operations Koby Altman believes the 24-year-old has plenty of room to continue expanding his game and getting better.

“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.”

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

• The Raptors officially announced a series of changes to their coaching staff on Thursday, confirming in a press release that the team has hired Stephen Silas as an assistant, as reported in July. Notably, Jeremy Castleberry, who has worked closely with Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio, Toronto, and Los Angeles after playing alongside the star forward at San Diego State, has rejoined the Raptors’ staff.
• The Magic are hiring Ronnie Burrell as the head coach of their G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). A Trail Blazers assistant for the past two seasons, Burrell previously spent several years with the Nets and earned G League Coach of the Year honors in 2022/23 for leading Brooklyn’s affiliate – the Long Island Nets – to a 23-9 regular season record.
• ESPN’s Zach Kram refers to Landry Shamet’s four-year, $24MM deal and Jose Alvarado’s three-year, $14.4MM contract as two of the best value signings of the summer, but he gives the Knicks an overall offseason grade of B-minus due to the team’s backup center downgrade, which stemmed from second-apron concerns.