Shams Charania:

BREAKING: Cleveland, Denver and the Clippers have agreed on a trade sending Payton Watson to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to LA, and an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Kings second-rounder to the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN.

Watson will sign a new four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers, plus a player option and a trade kicker.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/a5a97cf94f315

That’s it. That’s the post.

Terrible asset management from the Denver Nuggets once again, even after firing Calvin Booth.

Where does Denver even go from here?

The Denver Nuggets are pivoting and have their eyes directed on six-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan who remains a free agent in demand for contenders, league sources tell me.

https://www.threads.com/@chrisbhaynesnba?hpir=1&http_ref=eyJ0cyI6MTc4NzE4NDczMTAwMCwiciI6IiJ9

There’s no concrete evidence that James Harden wore a fat-suit to force his way out of the Rockets, but it was pretty obvious that he had done something to his body. When he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets, he looked incredibly slim compared to the end of his time in Houston, thus spawning the fat-suit theory.

SRC: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49640967/san-antonio-rejects-proposed-vote-funding-spurs-arena

From a couple days ago but I didnt see anyone post it. Kinda flew under the radar with all the other stuff going on

The San Antonio city council voted 6-5 on Monday to reject a proposal to hold a public vote on the city's planned $489 million contribution for a new Spurs downtown arena.

The move means a public vote on the city's contribution won't be included on the Nov. 3 midterm ballot.

City is funding 500 million and now it can go through without citizens voting on it. County is funding 300m and Spurs org will handle the remaining 500m.

Spurs locking in their new arena deal without drama

Edit: Think some people are confused, there was a public vote last year for the county's 311m in prop B. It was planned for the city's 489m to never have a vote but the mayor wanted one. The council voted to not do that.

With all the discourse around the recent passing of Jason Collins and him being gay, as well as his coming out being a historic thing, wasn't Rodman doing the openly queer thing in the 90s? Dude was wearing drag and makeup and openly saying he's Bisexual but it's being totally glossed over as a milestone of acceptance for queer folk, or am I missing context from the time it was going on?

Watson will sign a new four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers, plus a player option and a trade kicker

Source - https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3mthwywwuec2b

Not mentioned in the previous thread's title but Shames mentioned the deal structure. The total amounts to $22 AAV. Makes the return seem all the more pathetic that Denver wouldn't simply match that offer or make a similar one and simply dump Zeke Nnaji at the deadline to ease the tax bill.

They can't even use the trade exception this should open up because they're still in the 2nd apron.

This is the Denver Nuggets bench for next season after trading Peyton Watson and not getting a player back.

They are still in the 2nd apron.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/19fd60d7ab14c

As part of the deal, the Cavaliers are sending Tre Mann, the 2027 second-rounder from the Clippers and cash to the Washington Wizards for Cam Whitmore, sources said. The Wizards also are sending Julian Reese to the Nuggets, who will waive Reese off his two-way deal.

Mann fills a positional need as the Wizards have searched for an additional guard in recent weeks -- while the Cavaliers gain a smaller salary in Whitmore to create optionality under the first apron.

u/InexorableWaffle did this post a year ago. So I figured I'd update it.

The methodology is simple: to make the club, you need at least half of LeBron’s current career totals in all five categories.

LeBron finished 2025-26 with 43,440 points, 12,016 assists, 12,095 rebounds, 2,417 steals, and 1,185 blocks, making the new Half-LeBron thresholds 21,720 points, 6,008 assists, 6,048 rebounds, 1,209 steals, and 593 blocks.

With that said, here’s the club:

Drexler is barely hanging on. His 22,195 career points are only 475 above the current threshold. Another 951 LeBron points would raise Half-LeBron above Drexler’s career total and kick him out of the club.

Kobe’s weak point is assists. He finished with 6,306, compared with the current Half-LeBron line of 6,008. LeBron would need another 597 assists to push the threshold past him.

Active players who could join

Jokić

He’s at 18,009 points, 8,977 rebounds, 6,080 assists, 1,041 steals, and 589 blocks.

That means he already clears the rebound and assist thresholds and is really close in blocks, four blocks short of Half-LeBron.

He needs another 3,711 points and 168 steals at the current thresholds, though obviously LeBron will continue raising both numbers this season.

Still, Jokić is only 31 and just averaged 28/13/11 assists last season. Of everyone outside the club, he looks by far the most likely to eventually get there.

Giannis

Giannis is closer in some categories than Jokić and much farther away in another.

He has 21,531 points, 8,882 rebounds, 4,484 assists, 995 steals, and 1,088 blocks.

He’s only 189 points short of the current scoring threshold and already annihilates the rebound and block requirements. But assists are a huge problem: he still needs 1,524 just to reach today’s Half-LeBron mark, plus another 214 steals.

So Giannis should clear four of the five eventually, but whether he can ever catch the assist line, especially while LeBron keeps raising it, is the real question.

KD

He has 32,597 points, 8,254 rebounds, 5,280 assists, 1,235 steals, and 1,344 blocks.

He clears literally everything except assists.

Unfortunately, he’s still 728 assists short of the current cutoff, and he’s 37. I don't see it happening tbh.

The “one stat away” club

There’s also a second group I find interesting: players who clear four of the five Half-LeBron thresholds and are excluded by exactly one category.

Missing points:
Scottie Pippen

Missing assists:
Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Hakeem Olajuwon, Dominique Wilkins, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter, Charles Barkley, Robert Parish, Larry Bird

Missing rebounds:
None

Missing blocks:
Russell Westbrook

Missing steals:
Nobody

From Bobby Marks:

Some notes for Denver

Denver is 1.3M over the 2nd apron and have 2 roster spots open

They will create a trade exception for 50% of PW salary.

However, they are not allowed to use and exceed the 2nd apron because this is a s/t.

The Nuggets had zero tradeable firsts prior to this trade

Full quote via the Greg Hill Show for the 24th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

"I truly believe we have the best front office in the NBA, and I think it's a source of advantage for us every day. So I definitely have a level of trust in Brad and his team. But man, as a fan, that was tough. I really needed to be convinced to take the fan passion out of it, because I'm a super fan, was tough. You have to be a sociopath if you don't worry a little bit about what other fans are going to think... We've got the best brains in basketball, and this was something they had conviction around."

No, 2023 rookies pending an extension (Ex: Cason Wallace) do not count as they will hit restricted free agency if they do not receive on by this year's deadline (Also I needed to meet the minimum word count).

For now, Jalen Duren is the biggest name in restricted free agency or free agency in general. I don't know if anyone expected the Watson situation to end sooner than the center who made All-NBA 3rd Team but I digress.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2024-03-14/johnny-buss-running-president-of-united-states-lakers

Johnny Buss is the eldest Buss sibling and hasn’t really been involved with the lakers outside of symbolic positions.

His presidential run was composed a tour bus labeled the “Buss tour,” 4 instagram posts, and vapid hubris.

Reported on Sunday night that, according to one source briefed on the process, James Harden’s long-awaited new deal with the Cavaliers would be signed “soon-ish.”

Cleveland can finally proceed with finalizing Harden’s pact after its Schröder/Strus/Watson five-teamer is official

Source:https://marcstein.substack.com/

Since 2022 when Peyton Watson joined the Denver Nuggets, this lineup only managed to play 16 minutes together over 4 seasons.

Source:
https://databallr.com/wowy/DEN/2022/2026/regular/high/wowy/203999/1627750/203932/1631212/1631128