The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a pretty quiet offseason, but they remain linked to wings Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga amid their need for help in that department.
The Atlanta Hawks have their own ties to both players. They're said to be interested in Watson, and they're involved in Kuminga's free agency since they may need to help facilitate a sign-and-trade to get him to his next stop. They also haven't been totally ruled out of the race for the 23-year-old themselves.
But one NBA scout seems to have reservations about both Watson and Kuminga, particularly when it comes to the Cavs.
“The Cavs are not a better team if they lose Dean Wade and Max Strus and replace them with Jonathan Kuminga,” the scout told Hoops Wire. “Probably worse. I’d say Strus is better on his own than Kuminga when it comes to versatility and work ethic.”
The same scout said that Watson is "nothing special" and a possible "Klutch headache."
The Cavs, however, are unlikely to stop their pursuits of either player just because of the scout's comments. In fact, the latest reporting from The Stein Line indicates that Cleveland is actively looking to trade Strus, a move that would increase financial flexibility as the team continues to chase Watson and Kuminga.
After the Hawks acquired Kuminga last season, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the regular season across 16 appearances. He then averaged 13.7 points per game in the playoffs.
He was certainly playable and gave Atlanta some decent minutes, but it wasn't enough for the team to exercise his option at the start of the offseason. That led to him hitting unrestricted free agency, where he's had to wait all summer for clarity about his future.
Wherever he lands, Atlanta can't complain if it nets an asset or two in a sign-and-trade. Having anything to show for his departure would be a plus -- assuming he does move on from the Hawks.
The Cavs already lost the aforementioned Wade in free agency and may be on the verge of shipping Strus away as well, so the scenario the scout detailed is a very possible one for Cleveland. But it does seem clear that change is needed for the Cavs after they were dominated by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
The best-case scenario regarding Kuminga's trajectory is that he taps into more of the potential that made him the No. 7 overall pick a few years ago, allowing him to reach another level in the NBA. If he can do that, he could go down as a steal this summer.
He and Watson remain a couple of the biggest dominoes yet to fall as August creeps along.
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