Peyton Watson is joining the Cleveland Cavaliers via sign-and-trade, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Wednesday. It's a multi-team trade involving Denver, Cleveland, and the Los Angeles Clippers, who snuck in to steal sharpshooting wing Max Strus.
Still, it's Watson whose the headliner package. Denver's restricted free agency saga is finally resolved as the offseason dust begins to settle.
Charania adds that the Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Portland Trail Blazers all expressed interest, with Watson's reps "narrowing in on the guaranteed $88M deal with the Cavaliers."
Blazers will regret missing out on Peyton Watson
It's a new four-year, $88 million deal that includes a player option and trade kicker -- an impressive figure considering the UCLA product was the No. 30 overall pick in the 2022 NBA class.
For Cleveland, it's an excellent investment in a 23-year-old coming off a breakout season. Watson averaged14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on efficient 49/41/73 shooting splits, emerging as a key contributor in the Mile High City.
It's a tough loss for a Nuggets team trying to balance consistently contending with the reality of ducking the second apron in the new CBA.
It's good news for Portland that Watson is heading to an Eastern Conference that's gotten stronger this offseason. But it's also frustrating that this is yet another rising star Portland has to miss out on, only to be in the mix as a team that reportedly expressed interest.
It was like that when LaMelo Ball was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves as well. Of course, the Blazers ultimately pivoted to another polarizing guard in Ja Morant, a discounted star they hope benefits from a chance of scenery.
That wasn't going to be the case had Portland landed Watson, but we compared it to their bold deal for Deni Avdija. At the time, the Blazers were questioned for giving up two first-round picks for a solid role player in Avdija. Two seasons later, he's an All-Star in Portland.
Not to say that Watson will go on to be an All-Star in Cleveland. That's not what they need him to do, joining such a ball-dominant backcourt in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. But it does seem similar to the Avdija deal for Portland, in that this package centered around Max Strus and a 2031 first-rounder will only age better thanks to internal improvement.
The same can be said of the reasonable $88 million deal for Watson. Cleveland finally addresses the gap between the guard play of Mitchell/Harden and the frontcourt of Evan Mobley/Jarrett Allen.
Portland now finds itself in a similar roster dilemma, hence the overlapping interest in Watson. They lack forward depth, especially now that Jerami Grant, Kris Murray, and Matisse Thybulle are all out of the picture. Watson would've been the perfect addition to this young core, but unfortunately, it's another attempt that fell short.
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