Peyton Watson gives Cavs the wing they’ve been looking for

There was a reason the Cavaliers kept coming back to Peyton Watson.

They needed a wing with size. They needed athleticism. They needed another defender. They needed someone who could make shots without needing the ball all night.

Most of all, they needed someone they could look at and say, that’s our guy at that spot. On Wednesday, they finally got him.

The Cavs acquired Watson from Denver as part of the multi-team trade that sent Max Strus to the Clippers, then agreed to give Watson a four-year, $88 million contract.

That’s not a small commitment. It’s also an indication that the Cavs don’t view Watson as merely another piece for the rotation. They think he can become more.

Why Watson makes sense

Watson is only 23, and last season was easily the best of his young career.

He went from being mostly a developmental player in Denver to averaging 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds, shooting 48.5 percent from the field and 41.1 percent on 3-pointers. He also blocked 1.4 shots per game, an awfully impressive number for a wing.

That’s where this gets interesting for Cleveland. There will be nights when Watson is the fifth option offensively. With Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen around him, that’s perfectly fine.

There may be other nights when he looks like considerably more than that.

Watson can run. He can finish. He can make an outside shot. He has the length and athleticism to defend multiple positions, and he’s a legitimate shot-blocker from the wing.

That’s something the Cavs haven’t really had. They’ve spent years trying to solve this position.

A couple seasons ago, they acquired De’Andre Hunter with the idea that perhaps he’d be the answer. It didn’t work out that way.

Now they’re taking another swing, except Watson is arriving at a very different point in his career. His best basketball theoretically remains ahead of him.

The defensive part matters

This isn’t only about scoring. The Cavs needed somebody they could put on the bigger wings they’ll encounter if they intend to get back to the Eastern Conference finals and beyond.

Think Jayson Tatum. Think Jaylen Brown. Think about the bigger, athletic scorers who become considerably more difficult to deal with in April and May.

Watson gives them another option. Cleveland already has one of the NBA’s premier defensive players and rim protectors in Mobley. Allen protects the basket, too.

Now Watson gives them some of that same length and disruption farther away from the rim.

That doesn’t mean he’s going to shut down every elite wing in basketball. Nobody does. It means the Cavs have somebody who at least has the physical tools to take the assignment. They needed that.

Cavs have options

Here’s another thing I like about the move: Watson doesn’t have to be spectacular immediately.

The Cavs have Jaylon Tyson, who took a significant step last season. They have Sam Merrill, who provides shooting and plays a lot tougher defensively than he’s sometimes given credit for.

They also have Mario Hezonja, one of the more intriguing additions of their offseason after spending the past several years playing overseas.

So if Watson struggles for a week, it’s not a crisis. They have options. But make no mistake, Watson should have every opportunity to become the starter.

Basically, the Cavs didn’t give up an unprotected 2031 first-round pick and guarantee Watson $88 million because they wanted another guy for the bench.

The move they needed

I wrote Wednesday night that I believe the Cavaliers will miss Strus. I also believe they made the right trade. Both things can be true.

After losing Dean Wade and Keon Ellis, Cleveland needed to address the wing. It couldn’t just bring back essentially the same group and hope things worked themselves out by the February trade deadline.

The East is too good for that. The Knicks are champions. The 76ers have loaded up. The Pistons won 60 games. The Pacers could undoubtedly climb back into the picture.

So yes, the Cavs reached the Eastern Conference finals last season. But the next step isn’t getting easier.

There is still work to do. The Cavs have Harden’s contract situation to address, and I’d still like to see them add another big man behind Mobley and Allen, even after bringing back Thomas Bryant.

But those are things they can work through. The biggest hole was on the wing. Watson fills it.

Maybe he becomes exactly what the Cavs have been seeking. Maybe playing alongside Mitchell, Harden, Mobley and Allen unlocks even more of a player who already made a major jump last season.

Nobody knows that part yet. But we know why the Cavs made this trade.

They weren’t looking for another temporary answer. They believe Peyton Watson can be the long-term one.