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It has been a very eventful last few weeks for the Cleveland Cavaliers after the team did little during the first month or so of free agency. However, that quickly changed, and things began moving at a rapid pace.
The Cavaliers are now right there as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. That became even more apparent after Cleveland acquired Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade deal.
“Denver is trading Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers and will receive Cleveland's 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-rounder from the Sacramento Kings. The Cavs are sending Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers, which gives them the flexibility to sign Watson to a four-year, $88 million contract. There were multiple other minor moves involved to complete the deal, including the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets," Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker wrote.
Shortly after Watson was traded to Cleveland, James Harden agreed to a lucrative contract with the Cavaliers.
“Free agent James Harden agreed to a new three-year, $97 million contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with a player option for 2028-29 and a trade kicker, agents Mike Silverman, Troy Payne and Brandon Grier of Equity Sports told ESPN on Thursday. Currently, just two players in NBA history have eclipsed the $500 million mark in career earnings: Philadelphia's LeBron James and Houston's Kevin Durant. Harden sits at $414 million and would join the exclusive club after completing this new deal,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.
Now, with training camp on the horizon, the Cavaliers have also signed Khalifa Diop to a contract.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Khalifa Diop to a four-year, $9.26 million deal, which is fully guaranteed Year 1 at $1.36 million, sources told hoopshype. He was the 39th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He spent the past three seasons with Baskonia of Spain’s Liga ACB and EuroLeague,” Hoopshype’s Michael Scotto wrote.
This was a strong depth addition for Cleveland. If injuries occur at the center position, Diop should be capable of stepping in and providing valuable minutes. He is a capable rim protector who takes pride in making an impact defensively. The scoring may come along as he develops, but his primary goal will be to disrupt opponents and make life difficult on that end of the floor.
The Cavaliers are rounding out their offseason and are now waiting for Harden to officially sign his contract. Cleveland is once again shaping up to be a difficult matchup in the Eastern Conference.
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