The Cleveland Cavaliers really wanted Peyton Watson.
After Dean Wade left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Philadelphia 76ers and franchise icon LeBron James signed with the 76ers instead of coming home, Cleveland went hard after Peyton Watson.
A talented swingman, Watson said the Cavaliers were really persistent in their pursuit of him and that played a big role in why he wanted to join the Wine and Gold.
Watson signed a four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers via a sign-and-trade deal with the Denver Nuggets. The contract includes a player option and a trade kicker.
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 this season. On paper, that looks like a lethal starting lineup.
Watson enters this season with career averages of 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Harden recruited him to the Cavaliers.
Mitchell is one of eight players to average at least 20 points per game in each of the past nine seasons.
The Cavaliers acquired Mitchell from the Utah Jazz before the 2022-23 season. Mitchell is averaging 26.7 points per game in the regular season and 27.3 points per game in the playoffs in a Cleveland uniform.
A seven-time All-Star, Mitchell led the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. It was the first time Cleveland made the conference finals since 1992 without LeBron.
The New York Knicks swept Mitchell and the Cavaliers in the conference finals, but Cleveland's front office remained loyal to Mitchell by giving him the huge extension.
Mitchell signed a four-year, $273 million maximum contract extension this offseason.
Mitchell enters next season with career averages of 25.1 points per game in the regular season and 27.8 points per game in the playoffs with the Jazz and Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers begin this season against LeBron and the 76ers in Philadelphia. That will be an electric atmosphere.
It would have been fun to see LeBron come home to play with Mitchell, but King James signed a two-year, $8 million deal to play with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
Mitchell, Watson, Harden, Mobley and Allen will try to do what LeBron did in 2016. The 2015-16 Cavaliers won the 2016 championship against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.
Harden is still searching for his first NBA championship. He went to the NBA Finals in 2012 with the Thunder, who lost to LeBron and the Miami Heat in five games.
