NBA Exec Gives Honest Thoughts on New Cavaliers Forward Peyton Watson

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets in a blockbuster sign-and-trade deal last week. The Nuggets, Cavaliers and LA Clippers agreed on a trade sending Watson to Cleveland and Max Strus to Los Angeles. The Washington Wizards were in the trade too. They got Tre Mann from Cleveland. Watson signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers. The deal includes a player option and a trade kicker. On the latest Terry's Talkin' podcast, Cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto said he spoke to an NBA executive about Watson and the exec is jealous that the Cavaliers got the swingman. "Our coaches believe he is an elite defender, and they believe he will really continue to grow on offense. They really like him." For the Nuggets last season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from beyond the arc and 73.0% from the free-throw line. He's one of the top two-way wings in the league Cleveland will start James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen next season. On paper, that looks like a lethal starting lineup. Watson enters next season with career averages of 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He turns 24 in September. Cleveland opens next season against LeBron James and the 76ers in Philadelphia. That will be an electric atmosphere. Can a core of Harden, Mitchell, Watson, Mobley and Allen win a championship? We'll find out soon. While grading the trade, ESPN gave Cleveland a B, Denver a D, LA an A- and Washington a C+. Here is why the Cavaliers got only B: "But Strus was a valuable player for Cleveland, as both a proven 3-point shooter (37% in his career and with the Cavaliers) and solid defender. And that far-off future first-round pick could be valuable down the line, as well as hamper the Cavaliers' ability to make other trades in the years to come. (The Jazz already control their 2027, 2028 and 2029 firsts from the Donovan Mitchell blockbuster.) "Because of those extra considerations, this isn't a slam-dunk A-plus deal for Cleveland; in a vacuum, Strus might even be a more valuable player than Watson right now. But it's easy to see -- and believe in -- the bet that the Cavaliers are making with this trade: that Watson provides much more upside than Strus, and that he's the wing who can finally bridge the positional gap between the Cavaliers' two All-Star guards and their two All-Star bigs."