The Cavaliers spent much of their offseason in the background, but when it came to fixing the wing, they knew exactly who they wanted. Cleveland chased Peyton Watson for about a month, made him a priority, and ultimately won the race for the 23-year-old NBA champion.
Watson is now in Cleveland after a five-team deal that became official on Friday. He’ll wear No. 8 for the Cavs, and the move gives the franchise the kind of athletic, versatile presence it was looking for on the wing.
The trade package was part of a larger sign-and-trade structure. As Bleacher Reports Joseph Rucker wrote, “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 Reports Joseph Rucker wrote.
Cleveland didn’t land Watson without competition. The Cavaliers had to fend off interest from the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, all of whom had sign-and-trade interest in the forward over the past month.
“That is why teams like the LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Atlanta Hawks have all expressed sign-and-trade interest in Watson over the last month. Interest from the Clippers, Bucks, and Cavs is real, yet there are still some limitations to each potential sign-and-trade scenario,” NBA insider Brett Siegel wrote.
The Cavs also had Jonathan Kuminga on their radar, but Watson ended up being the choice. Coming off an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, Cleveland is banking on Watson’s growth from last season to push the group even further.
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Kuzmas case is about more than just opportunity, too. His defensive work last season graded out above average among wings, giving Milwaukee reason to believe he can handle a meaningful role on both ends as the rotation takes shape. For a team that has been sorting through combinations all summer, that kind of clarity at small forward is no small thing. [Read more 🡒]
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For Bucks supporters, the emotional pull is obvious. Antetokounmpos Milwaukee rsum already includes two MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year honors and the championship run in 2021 that ended the franchises long title drought. He stopped short of promising anything concrete, and his future in Miami is still unfolding, but even a loose hint of a possible reunion is enough to reopen a door plenty in Milwaukee have never really wanted to close. [Read more 🡒]