Clippers add Max Strus as part of three-team deal involving Peyton Watson

In a three-team transaction, the Los Angeles Clippers obtained small forward Max Strus from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Denver Nuggets sent restricted-free-agent Peyton Watson to Cleveland, receiving a 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick from the Sacramento Kings. Watson is set to sign a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cavaliers, bolstering their roster in the Eastern Conference.

The trade rendered Strus expendable for Cleveland, which is building around Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and James Harden. The Clippers, currently under an NBA investigation into alleged salary-cap violations by owner Steve Ballmer and star Kawhi Leonard, took on Strus’s $16.6 million salary. The deal also follows the pending blockbuster trade that would send Leonard to Toronto for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick and multiple draft assets.