The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have a ton they could do to change their starting lineup for the 2026-27 NBA season.
James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen weren’t going anywhere — particularly once any dreams of a Mobley for Giannis Antetokounmpo trade went by the wayside.
That left one spot, at most, to be filled by a potential new face.
Peyton Watson is that new face, and he’s oozing potential.
The Cavs open their season on Thursday night in a marquee matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland legend LeBron James.
It’ll be the first chance for Watson to show how important he can be to the Cavs this season — and Cleveland is hoping that he’ll prove that over and over again.
Who is Peyton Watson?
Watson is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new small forward who just turned 24 in September and measures 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds.
He’s already had a fascinating NBA rise that’s worth looking back on.
Peyton Watson Basketball Timeline
Watson was a top-10 recruit in his high school class, the Class of 2021, and chose to stay relatively local from Long Beach Polytechnic to go to UCLA.
He played just one college season for the Bruins and averaged 12.7 minutes per game. Watson averaged just 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per contest, and he shot 32.2% from the field and 22.6% from 3-point range.
NBA teams saw his potential anyway, though, even if Watson had done hardly anything in a single year of college basketball.
He was technically drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he was really part of a draft-night trade that sent Watson to the Denver Nuggets for JaMychal Green and a 2027 first-round pick.
Watson’s first year with the Nuggets featured just 8.1 minutes per game. His next was up to 18.6 minutes per contest.
Watson started to put it together in 2024-25 when he averaged 24.4 minutes per game while scoring 8.1 points and grabbing 3.4 rebounds per night.
Then last season, Watson broke out. Starting most of his games prior to a late season injury, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals. He also shot 41.1% from 3-point range on 3.6 attempts per night.
Clearly, Watson took a leap forward.
Peyton Watson Trade, Contract
The Nuggets traded Watson in a sign-and-trade deal to the Cavaliers in August.
The trade itself ended up being made official by the league as a five-team deal — as part of it, the Cavs sent Dennis Schroder to the Charlotte Hornets and Max Strus to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets mostly did the trade because Watson was a restricted free agent and they were able to receive a trade exception they can use later.
Watson signed a four-year, $88 million contract as part of the deal, so the Cavs will pay him $22 million per year through the 2029-30 season.
If he can help elevate an otherwise-established starting lineup, it’ll be worth every penny.
Meet Peyton Watson, Cavs’ New Young Star and X-Factor