Why Did the Clippers Choose Max Strus Over Peyton Watson?

The Los Angeles Clippers made an unexpected move on Wednesday night and acquired Max Strus from the Cleveland Cavaliers for a second-round pick. They were able and willing to take on Strus' $16.6 million salary for next season without giving up anything of value because of the trade exception they had created in the John Collins deal earlier in the offseason.

But this still caught plenty of Clippers fans by surprise. There weren't any reports connecting the Clippers to Strus, and many hoped that they would be trading for Peyton Watson themselves. Instead, the restricted free agent is headed to Cleveland on a four-year, $88 million deal.

The Clippers could have offered that to Watson and tried to sign-and-trade for him. But they seemingly chose to bring in Strus instead.

How Did the Clippers Lose the Peyton Watson Sweepstakes?

The answer to why they made that decision lies in the contract Watson signed. The Clippers couldn't have fit Watson's deal into the $17 million trade exception they had. Once the Cavs were willing to go over the $20 million per year valuation, there was very little the Clippers could have done to acquire Watson.

Watson's salary with the Cavs will presumably start around $20 million next season and go up to $23.5 million in the final player option year. If the Clippers wanted to match or beat that offer, they would have had to match salaries in a sign-and-trade. The Cavs used Max Strus and Dennis Schröder as matching salary in the deal and got the Clippers to take on Strus and the Hornets to take on
Schröder. This is because the cash-strapped Nuggets weren't interested in taking salary back.

So, the Clippers had to include a combination of players like Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn to make the trade legal.

Finding a team to take on Jackson's $7 million salary for next season without the Clippers giving up an additional asset would have been hard. Lopez is the team's starting center right now, and the Clippers desperately need him. Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn are important parts of the rotation and are the only good defenders on this team. Would it really have made the Clippers a better team to trade Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez for Watson?

Plus, the Clippers had to give up a first-round pick in this deal. The Cavs had to give up an unprotected 2031 first-round pick to the Nuggets. Given that the Clippers are projected to be a lottery team over the next few seasons, would it have made sense for them to give up a future first for Watson?

There will be Clippers fans who wish they traded for Watson. It would have been defensible. Watson is a talented, young player with a ton of upside and versatility, and he plays a premium position. At the same time, giving up two rotation players and a future first-round pick to give Watson over $20 million per year would have been a hefty price to pay.

Instead, bringing in a starting-caliber veteran like Strus without giving up anything of value makes a lot of sense. That way, the Clippers get to keep their powder dry, maintain their financial flexibility, and keep their asset coffers for a bigger move down the road.

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