The Milwaukee Bucks are one of three teams in the hunt for Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade, along with the Cavaliers and Clippers. All has been relatively quiet on that front, that is, until Cleveland traded Dennis Schröder and cash to Charlotte for Tre Mann in a move that, as cap expert Yossi Gozlan pointed out, saved the Cavs $6.8 million.
Here we are now, wondering: was it a precursor to Cleveland landing Watson?
On Wednesday, Marc Stein of The Stein Line reported that the Cavaliers "continue to be classified as a team to watch" for Watson, adding this (subscription required):
League sources say Cleveland has been exploring various trade possibilities with both Dennis Schröder and Max Strus that would enable the Cavaliers — provided one or both of those salaries could be shed — to make a representative four-year offer to Watson.
Well, the Cavaliers found the trade scenario they were looking for by shedding the $14.8 million Schröder was set to earn this upcoming season and the $15.5 million he will make in 2027-28.
Cavaliers might've just cleared space to sign Peyton Watson
Denver and Watson have been at a standstill, as the Nuggets reportedly offered the 23-year-old a four-year, $70 million deal that obviously didn't appeal to him. As Sam Amick of The Athletic reported a couple of days ago, that contract "falls well short" of how much the forward believes he is worth (subscription required).
At this point in the season, no teams have the cap space to submit an offer sheet for Watson, so if he leaves, it will have to be a sign-and-trade. The forward doesn't have much leverage left, but that doesn't mean he will end up back in Denver, especially with Cleveland seemingly making this move to help it land Watson.
Of course, Jonathan Kuminga is still out there and has been linked to the Cavaliers, but Watson is the better prospect and appears to be at the top of Cleveland's list. To get him, the Nuggets will still need to agree to a sign-and-trade, but they've shown a willingness to have those discussions and should rather get something in return for the forward than risk him accepting his $6.5 million qualifying offer.
If Bucks want Watson, they may have to act fast (but will they?)
Denver lowered its price from a haul similar to what Utah received for Walker Kessler to a first-round pick and a high-level player. The thing is, as HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported a couple of weeks ago, no team has offered the Nuggets a first-round pick.
The Bucks can meet that price, potentially even offering Jaime Jaquez Jr., who's only 25, but Milwaukee can't trade him until September 6, when it can aggregate the salaries of the players it received in the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. The Cavaliers know that, and that might've served as even more motivation for them to find a Schröder suitor sooner rather than later.
Soon enough, we'll learn whether Cleveland made this trade to get Watson. It sure feels like it, but hopefully, it won't work out that way.
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