Cavaliers make major move to potentially get Peyton Watson after trading $117M 13-year veteran

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been working to piece together their roster this offseason while pursuing players who can help them compete next season. One name the Cavaliers have been targeting over the past several weeks is NBA champion Peyton Watson.

The Denver Nuggets have been unable to give Watson the contract he is seeking, creating an opportunity for Cleveland to potentially land the talented forward. However, the Cavaliers first needed to find a way to move Dennis Schröder’s contract.

“The Cavaliers are actively trying to offload Max Strus and Dennis Schröder’s contracts elsewhere to make Peyton Watson a four-year offer via sign-and-trade, per The Stein Line. Cleveland is now viewed as the strong favorites to eventually acquire Watson from the Nuggets,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.

On Friday afternoon, the Cavaliers finally found a way to move Schröder, trading him and cash to the Charlotte Hornets.

“The Cleveland Cavaliers are trading Dennis Schroder and cash to the Charlotte Hornets for Tre Mann, sources told ESPN on Friday. In Schroder, Charlotte picks up an established veteran at point guard who has history with Hornets president Jeff Peterson and coach Charles Lee from his tenure in Atlanta at the start of his career,” ESPN’s Shams Charania wrote.

This is a major move for Cleveland, even though the team is giving up an experienced point guard. Moving on from Schröder is exactly the type of cost-cutting move the Cavaliers needed to create more flexibility for a potential sign-and-trade involving Watson.

“The Cavaliers traded Dennis Schröder + cash to the Hornets for Tre Mann, per Shams Charania. Cleveland makes a cost-cutting move for more flexibility to pursue Peyton Watson via sign-and-trade,” Sidery posted.

The Cavaliers have now made their pursuit of Watson even more serious. With Schröder's contract off the books, Cleveland has created additional flexibility to potentially get a deal done for the young forward.

Cleveland has been determined to add an exciting wing this summer, and Watson appears to be the team's top target. If the Cavaliers can complete a sign-and-trade with Denver, they could finally fill one of the biggest needs on their roster.

Schröder has earned $117 million throughout his NBA career, but Cleveland was willing to move on from the veteran to create an opportunity to pursue Watson. With Schröder now in Charlotte, the Cavaliers have taken another significant step toward potentially bringing Watson to Cleveland.

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