The Cleveland Cavaliers have a wing problem, and they are trying to solve it by getting creative on the trade market. Reports out of the last week point to Cleveland exploring a deal for Atlanta Hawks forward Jonathan Kuminga.
The mechanics of any deal start with Max Strus. Strus has a $16.7 million expiring contract, which for a team like the Cavaliers is exactly the kind of asset that unlocks flexibility.
Cleveland can use Strus to match salary for a bigger addition, or they can use his expiring number to help another team clear cap for their own moves. Either way, that contract is not sitting on the roster all season.
The Cavs also need to keep an eye on their James Harden situation, and yes, that is a sentence we are writing in 2026. Harden has been on and off the Cleveland radar this offseason as a potential veteran addition, and his signing would take financial room the Cavs currently do not have without moving pieces first.
Kuminga is the more interesting swing piece. He had a fascinating offseason, forcing his way out of Golden State after years of not quite fitting Steve Kerr’s system and landing in Atlanta as part of a reshuffle.
The Hawks were happy to take a flier on a young athletic forward, but Kuminga has never really been an ideal fit for their roster either. Atlanta needed a defender who could handle bigger wings, and Kuminga at his best gives them that.
He is still 23, still one of the more physically gifted forwards in the league, and still a player who has flashed real scoring ability in isolation. What he has never done consistently is defend at a high level, shoot from three at a passable clip, or fit inside a structured offense.
Cleveland’s pitch would be different from Golden State’s and different from Atlanta’s. The Cavs would use him as a small-ball four next to Evan Mobley, giving them a lineup with real switchability and multiple ball handlers.
That is a role Kuminga could actually thrive in. Fewer half-court reps standing in a corner, more transition attacks, more attacking closeouts against bigger defenders.
The alternative name in the mix is Peyton Watson from Denver. Watson is a completely different player, a long two-way wing who profiles as a defensive stopper first and a floor spacer second.
The Nuggets have been reluctant to part with Watson because they see him as a long-term rotation player behind Aaron Gordon, but Cleveland has enough interesting pieces to at least start the conversation. Watson’s fit next to Donovan Mitchell is cleaner than Kuminga’s, because he does not need touches to be effective.
The Cavs know their window with Mitchell and Mobley is right now. They pushed hard in the playoffs last year and came up short again, and everyone in the organization understands that adding another wing is the priority.
Kuminga is the swing piece with the highest ceiling and the most volatility. Watson is the safer play with a lower peak. The right answer probably depends on what Atlanta and Denver are asking for in return.
Do not expect a resolution before training camp. These are the kinds of deals that either close before Halloween or wait until the February deadline. But the Cavaliers are shopping, and both Kuminga and Watson are on the list.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
