The Cleveland Cavaliers are the team to watch in the Peyton Watson chase. The Nuggets restricted free agent has been on the market all summer, and the Cavs are ready to make a real run at him if they can clear the cap space.
Here is what has to happen. Cleveland needs to trade Dennis Schroder and probably Max Strus to fit Watson under the cap. Schroder is already headed to Charlotte in a cost cutting move. Strus is the second domino that needs to fall. Once both deals are done, the Cavs have the flexibility to sign Watson to a real offer sheet.
Watson is a bet on tools. He is a 6 foot 8 wing with real defensive versatility, above average athleticism, and an inconsistent but improving jumper. He has been buried on the Nuggets bench behind Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. for three years. He needs a real opportunity to show what he can be.
Cleveland is the perfect landing spot. The Cavs have Donovan Mitchell as the primary shot creator, Darius Garland as the point guard, and Evan Mobley anchoring the defense. What they lack is a big wing who can defend the best perimeter scorer on the other team and knock down catch and shoot threes. Watson is exactly that profile if he continues to develop.
Denver’s decision on Watson is complicated. The Nuggets are trying to hold together their title window around Nikola Jokic, but the cap sheet is not friendly. Matching a big offer for Watson could push Denver deep into the luxury tax at a moment they cannot afford to be. Letting him walk hurts, but it might be the smart financial call.
Here is the fair read on the fit. Watson at $20 million per year in Cleveland is a bet worth making. The Cavs are chasing a Finals appearance and they need real two way wing talent. Even if Watson only becomes a good starter rather than an All Star, that is enough to move Cleveland from a second round team to a real conference finalist.
The gymnastics required to make it happen are real. Trading Strus without adding salary is going to require finding a taker who wants his contract and shooting. Not every team wants that. Cleveland may have to attach a first round pick to sweeten the deal.
Watch this over the next two weeks. If the Cavs finalize a Strus trade before Labor Day, an offer sheet for Watson is coming right behind it. Denver then has 48 hours to decide.
The Watson story is quietly one of the most consequential subplots of the offseason. Cleveland cares deeply about it. Denver has to.
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.
