After spending his first four NBA seasons with the Denver Nuggets, former UCLA Bruin Peyton Watson will switch teams for the first time in the NBA. On Wednesday, the Nuggets sent Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a 2031 first round pick and a 2032 second round pick. In the deal, the Cavaliers sent out guard Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The move doesn't come out of thin air, as Watson and the Nuggets were locked in contract negotiations all summer long. Cleveland made the trade and immediately extended Watson on a four-year $88 million extension that will keep Watson in Cleveland for the rest of the decade.
Watson won an NBA ****** le in his rookie season with Denver, with the Los Angeles native playing alongside MVP Nikola Jokic to begin his NBA career. Now he'll be joining a Cleveland team that's desperate to take the next step after consecutive deflating playoff losses.
In Cleveland, Watson will be joining All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The defense of a Watson-Mobly-Allen lineup would be incredible but the Cavaliers will be hoping for Watson to keep knocking down his jumpers. Watson played in just 54 games last season but shot an impressive 41% from deep on 3.6 attempts from three per game.
Before his NBA days, Watson played one season with the Bruins. During the 2021-2022 season, Watson played in 32 games for UCLA and he came off the bench in every single one. Watson scored just 3.3 points per game in his 12.7 minutes per night but Denver wasn't phased, selecting Watson with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
#cavaliers #season #first
The move doesn't come out of thin air, as Watson and the Nuggets were locked in contract negotiations all summer long. Cleveland made the trade and immediately extended Watson on a four-year $88 million extension that will keep Watson in Cleveland for the rest of the decade.
Watson won an NBA ****** le in his rookie season with Denver, with the Los Angeles native playing alongside MVP Nikola Jokic to begin his NBA career. Now he'll be joining a Cleveland team that's desperate to take the next step after consecutive deflating playoff losses.
In Cleveland, Watson will be joining All-Stars Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The defense of a Watson-Mobly-Allen lineup would be incredible but the Cavaliers will be hoping for Watson to keep knocking down his jumpers. Watson played in just 54 games last season but shot an impressive 41% from deep on 3.6 attempts from three per game.
Before his NBA days, Watson played one season with the Bruins. During the 2021-2022 season, Watson played in 32 games for UCLA and he came off the bench in every single one. Watson scored just 3.3 points per game in his 12.7 minutes per night but Denver wasn't phased, selecting Watson with the 30th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
#cavaliers #season #first
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