After spending his first four seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Peyton Watson was traded earlier this week to the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Watson, the former UCLA Bruin, signing a long-term deal with the Cavaliers to lock the 23-year old guard up long-term.
Watson and Cleveland agreed to terms on a four-year deal worth $88 million, teaming Watson up with a Cavaliers team that’s on the precipice of making some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. Denver won an NBA title in Watson’s rookie season and have been chasing those heights ever since but just how close were the Nuggets and Watson to penning a long-term extension.
The USA TODAY reported earlier this month that the Nuggets offered Watson a four-year $70 million deal, meaning that the move to the Cavaliers was worth an extra $18 million for Watson.
NBA insider Marc Stein was early on the wave of Watson to Cleveland, discussing a potential trade weeks before the eventual move took place.
“League sources say Cleveland has been exploring various trade possibilities with both [Dennis] Schröder and [Max] Strus that would enable the Cavaliers — provided one or both of those salaries could be shed — to make a representative four-year offer to Peyton Watson,” Stein said. “Schröder is scheduled to earn $14.8 million in 2026-27 and $15.5 million in 2027-28 … with only $4.4 million guaranteed in the latter season. Strus holds an expiring $16.7 million contract for 2026-27 to complete a four-year, $63 million deal he originally signed with Miami.”
Stein’s insight came to fruition, with the Nuggets moving on from the former champ. Watson remains in title contention, joining Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in Cleveland following the Cavaliers’ Eastern Conference Finals exit versus the eventual champion New York Knicks.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: What was the Nuggets’ offer to Peyton Watson before dealing him?
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
