The Cavaliers’ pursuit of Peyton Watson apparently has moved beyond merely kicking the tires.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Monday on NBA Today that Cleveland is considered a legitimate threat to land the Nuggets restricted free agent.
“I’m told that they are a ‘serious’ candidate to land Peyton Watson,” McMenamin said. “There are other teams interested in Watson as well, but they are a serious candidate.”
That wording is worth noting. The Cavs have been connected to Watson for weeks, and ESPN’s Shams Charania previously identified the Cavs, Bucks and Clippers among teams pursuing sign-and-trade possibilities with Denver. Atlanta has also been linked to Watson.
But “serious candidate” sounds a little different than “interested.” And the Cavs’ continued involvement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
They’ve spent much of the offseason looking for another long, athletic wing and have also explored possibilities involving Jonathan Kuminga and DeMar DeRozan. The Cavs, of course, already reached an agreement with Mario Hezonja, but has continued looking for another addition.
Watson, 23, certainly fits what they’re seeking. The larger issue remains figuring out how to get him.
Denver is believed to be seeking a first-round pick and a quality rotation player in a sign-and-trade, while Watson reportedly has been looking for a contract beginning somewhere in the $20 million-to-$25 million range.
There are salary-cap hurdles involved, too, meaning this isn’t a situation in which the Cavs can simply make Watson an offer and wait for Denver to match.
The Nuggets could also keep him if Watson accepts his $6.5 million qualifying offer, which would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
But the smoke around the Cavs isn’t disappearing. First Ramona Shelburne said they were “still poking around.” Then Charania confirmed their sign-and-trade pursuit.
Now McMenamin is calling them a serious candidate. At some point, that’s more than just background noise.
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