The Cleveland Cavaliers deserve some credit.
For all that the new contracts for both Donovan Mitchell and James Harden look like problems down the road, and letting Dean Wade go will come back to bite them, and never getting anything out of Keon Ellis is a travesty, it's not all bad.
Koby Altman and the front office never stopped working this summer, taking LeBron James's rejection in stride and eventually working out the exact right set of moves to free up the financial space to add Peyton Watson, a dynamic young two-way wing who solves a massive need for the team.
And they did it without giving up Jaylon Tyson.
The Cavaliers stood firm
As rumors swirled about various deals that the Cavaliers could strike, and focus was made on Watson in particular, the reporting stated that the Denver Nuggets were asking for both a draft asset and a rotation player.
With Denver needing to save as much money as possible in the deal, that couldn't mean Max Strus heading to the Nuggets; he instead was routed to the LA Clippers to fit into their John Collins-sized trade exception. Would they take on Sam Merrill? That would have been an extremely tall ask for the Cavaliers to lose both of their shooters in one move.
What about Jaylon Tyson? He is on an inexpensive cost-controlled contract for another two seasons, he would replace much of Watson's size on the wing for the Nuggets, and he still commands a large amount of upside. If push came to shove, would the win-now Cavaliers give up their top prospect in a deal for Peyton Watson?
The answer was no, they would not - or at least, they did not. However the negotiations went down, in the end the Nuggets took back no players and merely added a first-round pick and a second-round pick. Tyson, Merrill and Watson will all be in the rotation together (and make an intriguing closing lineup).
Jaylon Tyson is the future
The Cavaliers have pushed in their chips and gone all-in on the next couple seasons of contention. They are trying to win the Eastern Conference with a backcourt of James Harden and Donovan Mitchell.
However things go in the present, the future is also not without hope. Cleveland has built a small core of young talent, athletic, two-way wings and forwards to build a real foundation alongside the aging veterans. Evan Mobley, Peyton Watson and Jaylon Tyson is a compelling trio all 25 and under. If Meleek Thomas turns into something, that's the making of a good core.
Tyson is only two years into his career, but he has already displayed real flashes of passing brilliance, of rebounding grit, of defensive impact. He loves having the ball in his hands, but he is also growing as an off-ball impact player on offense, knocking down shots and cutting into space. His skillset is infinitely versatile and that gives Cleveland a lot of options for how to deploy him.
Keeping Tyson was not an eventuality given the Cavaliers' short-term goals, but keeping him will turn into a brilliant present and future for Cleveland. Tyson is growing into something special, and keeping him around to do that on the Cavs was the absolute right move by Koby Altman and company.
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