Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) reacts after making a three point basket during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.
Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets are parting ways with forward Peyton Watson, who will be starting a new chapter in his NBA career in the Eastern Conference via a trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to insider Shams Charania of ESPN.
Watson will also be putting pen to paper for a new contract with the Cavaliers once the trade is consummated.
“BREAKING: Cleveland, Denver and the Clippers have agreed on a trade sending Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to LA, and an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Kings second-rounder to the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN. Watson will sign a new four-year, $88 million deal to join the Cavaliers, plus a player option and a trade kicker,” Charania shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
The Cavaliers are getting a version of Watson that is coming off a career-best campaign in the pros. Watson, a first-round pick by the Nuggets in the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged only 6.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists, while shooting 47.2 percent from the field in his first three seasons in the league.
In what turned out to be his final season (2025-26) with the Nuggets, the former UCLA Bruins star put up averages of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per outing, while making 49.1 percent of his shots from the floor and 41.1 percent of his attempts from behind the arc — all career-bests for Watson, who will be turning 24 years old in September.
The Nuggets tried to keep Watson in Mile High City, offering him a reported four-year contract worth $70 million, but he opted to move on from Denver instead, as he now begins another basketball journey with the Cavaliers.