One desired restricted free agent was snapped up when the Nuggets traded promising Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers for a first- and second-round pick. The Nuggets couldn’t agree to contract terms with Watson and wanted to avoid going deep into the second apron. (They remain in it, with two open roster spots remaining.)
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Watson agreed to a four-year, $88 million contract with the Cavaliers, who shed the salaries of Dennis Schröder and Max Strus to make room for the swingman. Watson was sparkling last season when his playing time increased because of Nikola Jokic’s knee injury, but the Nuggets couldn’t afford to pay Watson and Christian Braun.
Jokic has a player option for $62.8 million in 2027-28 and has refrained from signing an extension in Denver, likely waiting to see if management can surround him with a championship roster. Its best hope to compete is to get healthy, and get bounce-back seasons from the likes of Aaron Gordon, Braun, and Cameron Johnson. Jokic’s status will become a larger issue, especially if the Nuggets fall short again in the Western Conference. They have not reached the conference finals since that title run three years ago.
The Nuggets, not wanting to add to their current poor financial situation, chose to trade promising restricted free agent guard Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers, where he inked a four-year, $88 million pact.Julio Cortez/AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Cleveland made the decision to keep James Harden long before they re-signed him to a three-year, $97 million extension. Harden, who turns 37 Wednesday, opted out of his contract last month and waited while Cleveland handled its finances to acquire Watson, then got the security he sought.
In the same week where former teammate Russell Westbrook decided to retire because he saw no lucrative offer from a contending team, Harden signed through age 40 and a 20th season. And such a contract is a calculated risk because of Harden’s playoff history.
The Watson trade included five teams, with Strus going to the Clippers, and 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore going from Washington to Cleveland. The Hornets also were involved.
It’s another example of a team capitalizing on a rival’s inability, or lack of desire, to suffer considerable luxury tax penalties to pay their own homegrown players. Watson was a late first-round draft pick after averaging just 3.3 points during his freshman season at UCLA. But he bet on himself once again, refusing an extension from the Nuggets that was an estimated $70 million over five years.
That’s the best-case scenario of restricted free agency. Duren’s situation is fascinating because he was considered one of the league’s rising centers as the Pistons raced to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. When he struggled mightily in the playoffs, his chances of getting a five-year, $287 million extension dwindled.
Detroit already extended All-Star Cade Cunningham, and has to consider money for defensive ace Ausar Thompson next summer. The NBA can be a brutal business, and the Pistons are essentially waiting out Duren, who could accept the team’s extension or a $9.6 qualifying offer with a no-trade clause.
There were a few interested parties in Duren earlier this summer, but the market quickly began to dry — and no team outside of Detroit has the resources to pay him his desired salary barring a trade. The Pistons were expected to be a perennial contender because of the likes of Cunningham, Duren, Thompson, and Ron Holland, but that run could be jeopardized because of this contract dispute.
Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (right) is another restricted free agent whose future is currently up in the air. Ethan Swope/Associated Press
Mathurin has always been a willing scorer and reluctant defender, and there was a reason why the Pacers offered him to the Clippers for Ivica Zubac. Los Angeles is undergoing a rebuild and may need convincing that Mathurin is a piece for the future. It will likely risk bringing him back on a qualifying offer.
TROUBLE IN HOLLYWOOD
Murky waters ahead for Lakers
For those in Boston wondering about the new ownership situation with the Celtics, consider the rival Lakers.
Mark Walter, also owner of the Dodgers, decided to sell the franchise after just one season to a group led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner for a $2.5 billion profit.
A few days after that news broke, the Buss family, without governor Jeanie Buss, decided to sell their remaining shares, getting out of the Lakers business after 47 years. Now the real intrigue begins, as Jeanie believes she has the legal right to make any decisions about the family’s stake in the team.
The Buss family, primarily Jeanie and brothers Johnny and Jim, have been at odds about the team for years, with Jeanie holding primary control as majority governor. But any majority governor must own at least 15 percent of their team, meaning this sale would end her reign.
The Lakers have undergone a major roster facelift, allowing LeBron James to move on and eventually sign with the 76ers. They also traded Deandre Ayton to the Wizards, while Luke Kennard signed with the Suns and Rui Hachimura went across town to the Clippers.
General manager Rob Pelinka is rebuilding around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with additions Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Collin Sexton, and Sandro Mamukelashvili. The team remains one of the most valuable in professional sports, but how much has the Buss family upheaval over the years hurt the franchise? Did the unstable ownership have anything to do with James’s departure?
However the Buss situation resolves, this is another bizarre and regrettable situation in the history of a storied franchise. Seven years ago, the legendary Magic Johnson resigned his role as president in an impromptu media session before the final game of the regular season. Jeanie Buss also served as executive producer of a 10-part documentary on the team in 2022, detailing her journey to being the team’s primary decision maker after the passing of her father, Jerry.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have one conference finals appearance since the Bubble championship in 2020, and will enter the season significant underdogs for another.
Guard Kingston Flemings is one of the new faces for the Hawks this season. Ethan Miller/Getty
ETC.
Next best five in the East
The perils of summer NBA predictions is rosters are still evolving. And as this column picked the top five in the Eastern Conference — Knicks, 76ers, Celtics, Pistons, and Raptors — we left off the Cavaliers because they had yet to sign Harden, lost out on LeBron and Dean Wade, and had yet to make a significant roster addition.
With Watson? Here are the picks for spots six through 10 in the Eastern Conference:
No. 6. Atlanta: The Hawks had a strong offseason, acquiring 2025 NBA champions Luguentz Dort and Aaron Wiggins from the Thunder, re-signing guard CJ McCollum, and drafting prospects Kingston Flemings and Henri Veesaar. Interestingly, they also parted ways with 2024 No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher, who couldn’t crack the starting rotation and was not in the team’s win-now plans.
Atlanta has a bunch of young, athletic players, defenders, and quality. The Hawks are going to have to win with depth because they are still lacking at center, with undersized Onyeka Okongwu the most experienced in the middle. But with All-Star Jalen Johnson, All-Defensive team Dyson Daniels, and Most Improved Award winner Nickeil Alexander-Walker, they are going to be a difficult out every night.
While that 140-89 collapse in Game 6 against the Knicks was a putrid way to end the season, Atlanta led that first-round playoff series, 2-1, with a chance to take control before inexperience became an issue.
No. 7. Cleveland: The Cavaliers are still not to be trusted after consecutive playoff flameouts. But the frontline of Watson, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley will be difficult to score on. Still, the backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Harden will score but won’t defend much. And losing Strus and Wade impacts the bench and the defense.
It appears the Cavaliers were banking on reacquiring James and then building from there, but they’ll have to rely a lot instead on Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill for bench scoring. Cleveland added former lottery pick Mario Hezonja from Europe, and the hope is that he has matured and can be a consistent contributor.
Still, there are too many question marks, beginning with the effectiveness of Harden. We likely won’t find out how good this team is until the playoffs, because it has proven successful only in the regular season.
Can Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton follow in Jayson Tatum’s footsteps and return to form after his Achilles injury? Doug McSchooler/Associated Press
No. 8. Indiana: The Pacers are the team no one is really talking about because their tanking last season completely backfired. They finished with the league’s second-worst record and had a pick that was top-4 protected, only to fall to fifth in the lottery and lose it to the Clippers.
Still, the return of Tyrese Haliburton to pair again with Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, the recently acquired Zubac, and newly signed Kelly Oubre gives Indiana a formidable lineup, especially with mastermind coach Rick Carlisle.
The Pacers are still a quality team. The key is whether Haliburton, who missed the season with a torn Achilles, can return to form. If he can, expect the Pacers to make a push for the first division in the East. These are the types of teams — workmanlike, underrated — that Carlisle has maximized in his career.
No. 9. Miami: The addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo will unquestionably make the Heat more interesting, but does it make them better?
Miami gutted its roster to get Antetokounmpo, moving Tyler Herro, Jamie Jaquez, Kel’el Ware, and Kasparas Jakucionis to Milwaukee along with three first-round picks and a pick swap. That means Miami is going to be considerably top heavy with Antetokounmpo joining Bam Adebayo, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, and likely Tim Hardaway Jr. That’s a solid starting five, but the bench is a work in progress with Klay Thompson, Bobby Portis, Pelle Larsson, and Simone Fontecchio.
And the big question — one Celtics fans pondered when they considered the possibility of bringing him to Boston: How much does Antetokounmpo have left after being dogged with leg injuries in recent years? If he’s healthy, and Adebayo continues to develop offensively, the Heat will win their share of games. But the talent outside of that duo isn’t good enough to avoid the play-in yet again.
No. 10. Orlando: The Magic’s primary offseason acquisition was a new coach, as San Antonio’s Sean Sweeney is in charge of trying to lead this once-promising franchise out of 16 years without a playoff series win. That was supposed to change when the Magic landed No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero to join Franz Wagner, but the two haven’t played all that well together nor stayed healthy during their run. The hope is a new philosophy will lead to more success.
But last season’s blown 3-1 series lead to the Pistons was discouraging. Former Celtic Nikola Vucevic is Orlando’s only major offseason player addition, while Mo Wagner left his brother and joined the Nets. Orlando still has to find a productive point guard; it will come down to Anthony Black or Jalen Suggs.
It’s difficult to believe Sweeney won’t get more consistency out of Banchero and Wagner. If he doesn’t, they could be changes in Orlando — again.
Former Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99, who last played in the NBA in 2025, has found a new home in France with LDLC ASVEL.Barry Chin
Former Celtic Jae Crowder agreed to a one-year deal with LDLC ASVEL in France, a team run by Hall of Famer Tony Parker. Crowder last played in the NBA in 2024-25, a nine-game stint with the Kings. He recently played for Bayamon in Puerto Rico before being released prior to the playoffs. Crowder played 2½ seasons with the Celtics before being part of the Isaiah Thomas trade to the Cavaliers … The NBA has yet to make a decision on the fate of the Clippers, who have been accused of circumventing the salary cap to offer superstar forward Kawhi Leonard more money over the past seven years. The club agreed to send Leonard to the Raptors for Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, but that deal is not official as the teams decided to wait until a decision. Meanwhile, Leonard has been seen in Toronto, and it appears both teams are making plans for the deal to eventually be consummated. The league could levy fines and a potential suspension for owner Steve Ballmer, a suspension for Leonard, or the league could find that neither side broke any rules. The NBA hired an outside firm to conduct the investigation and are still waiting for any substantive decision … Victor Oladipo, who has not played in the NBA since 2023, conducted a workout for teams last month in Las Vegas and is apparently a candidate to join a club on a training camp invite. A series of knee issues curtailed the career of the guard and one-time lottery pick, but he’s worked to get back into NBA condition and apparently impressed with his workout. The 34-year-old last played a healthy season in 2017-18 and was named to two All-Star teams with the Pacers … The Cavaliers spent last week clearing more salary cap space to acquire Watson, sending former Celtic Dennis Schröder to the Hornets for Tre Mann. The Hornets had been seeking a backup point guard after trading LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves and elevating Coby White to the starting slot. It’s Schröder’s 12th NBA team, and second since signing that three-year, $45 million deal with the Kings … The Holidays are down to one brother in the NBA, as Aaron Holiday signed with Maxima Roma in Italy, a deal that includes an NBA out. Holiday spent the past three years with the Rockets, and leaves brother Jrue as the lone Holiday in the league. Third brother Justin played 11 seasons, last appearing in 2024.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.