NBA Scout Questions Peyton Watson, Warns Cavaliers About Dean Wade Loss

An anonymous NBA scout flagged Peyton Watson's ball security and strength on drives in a Cleveland Cavaliers preview Sports Illustrated published Friday, then pointed to Dean Wade's departure to Philadelphia as a loss on defense.

SI deputy NBA news director Tom Dierberger wrote the preview, which also carries the scout's assessments of Kenny Atkinson, Evan Mobley, and Donovan Mitchell.

Cleveland landed Watson on Aug. 19 in a five-team sign-and-trade that also involved the LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets, and Washington Wizards. Denver received Cleveland's unprotected 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-rounder via Sacramento. Max Strus went to the Clippers in the same deal, and Cleveland no longer has a tradable first-round pick.

Watson was a restricted free agent. He signed a four-year, $88 million contract with a player option and a trade kicker. ESPN reported that his representatives fielded interest and offers from the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Clippers before the Cleveland deal came together.

He turned 24 on Sept. 11. The 30th pick in the 2022 draft out of UCLA, Watson won a championship with Denver as a rookie in 2023.

Last season, he averaged career highs of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists over 54 games, 40 of them starts. He added 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. Watson shot 49.1% from the field, 41.1% from 3-point range, and 73.0% from the free-throw line. In his 40 starts, he averaged 17.3 points, according to CBS Sports.

Across four seasons in Denver, Watson averaged 8.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 225 games.

The scout said Watson's jumper is not consistent enough yet to be his calling card.

"Watson, to me, needs another two years of development," the scout said. "He's too sloppy with the ball. He's not consistent enough. He's really loose when he drives the ball, which is just inconsistent.

"He just can't be consistent with it," the scout continued. "His upper body's really weak, and he's not strong and tight on his drives. He doesn't shoot it well enough consistently, I don't think, to say that's going to be what you do, but he doesn't handle the ball in traffic well enough. So he's not a game-changer. He played with the best player in the league in Denver [Nikola Jokić] and he couldn't find that consistency. That's a red flag."

At media day on Sept. 28, Donovan Mitchell said he had no role in recruiting Watson to Cleveland.

Wade agreed to a four-year, $39 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers on June 30, and the signing became official July 6. He spent seven seasons in Cleveland after going undrafted out of Kansas State in 2019 and joining the Cavaliers on a two-way contract.

In 59 games last season, Wade averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 22.3 minutes. He shot 36.2% from 3-point range. He started 14 of Cleveland's 18 playoff games, and his plus-5.0 postseason net rating led the team, according to NBA.com data cited by Bleacher Report.

"Losing Wade is going to hurt them," the scout explained. "For what he is, he does a lot for them. He guarded a lot of positions. He's tough. He doesn't need credit. He's just an under-the-radar guy that plays hard and does his job on both sides of the ball. So who's guarding guys this year?"

Jaylon Tyson shot 44.6% from 3-point range for Cleveland last season. At media day, he said he wants to improve on the laziness he saw in his own game.

Watson and the Cavaliers open the regular season at Wade's new team on Thursday, Oct. 22. It is the 76ers' home opener, with tip-off at Xfinity Mobile Arena set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.