The Bucks have entered the Peyton Watson sweepstakes.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Milwaukee has joined the Clippers and Hawks among the teams exploring sign-and-trade interest in the Nuggets’ restricted free agent wing. Watson’s price tag is already shaping up to be a major hurdle, with his reported ask sitting at $25MM+ annually.
Milwaukee may have a path to get there. Even after the team’s reported deal with Gary Trent Jr., Stein reports the Bucks should still have more than $10MM in room below the luxury tax line. That gives them enough flexibility to put together a starting salary near Watson’s asking price, provided they move out enough money.
If the Bucks do push forward, the names to watch on their roster include Kyle Kuzma ($20.5MM), Caris LeVert ($14.8MM), and A.J. Green ($10MM). But there’s a catch on the other side of the table: the Nuggets are believed to be reluctant to take back much salary in any Watson sign-and-trade, because that would hard-cap them at the second tax apron.
Denver’s ask for Watson is also described as steep. One report has the Nuggets looking for a return similar to what Utah received for Walker Kessler - two first-round picks and two swaps.
Stein also says the reaction around the league to Trent’s reported four-year, $64MM agreement with Milwaukee has been one of “profound shock.” Even so, it’s not clear whether that surprise turns into anything more formal. Stein notes that while some executives may suspect the Bucks and Trent had a handshake deal in place a year ago, it’s uncertain whether another team would actually take the matter to the league simply because Milwaukee may have paid a free agent far above market.
There was also a reason New Orleans moved on DeAndre Jordan. Sources familiar with the Pelicans’ thinking told Stein the team worried Jordan might leave for another club on a one-year, minimum-salary deal, and that concern pushed New Orleans to raise its offer to two guaranteed years so it wouldn’t lose his veteran presence in the locker room.
And on the coaching front, Stein reports that the Warriors had been in “advanced” talks with Willie Green, while the Bucks had already hired Joe Boylan before the Mavericks managed to bring both assistants to Dallas this offseason for Dusty May’s first NBA staff. Golden State later landed on Frank Vogel for the lead assistant job that had initially appeared headed to Green.
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Thompson is in the final year of his deal, which only sharpens the question of how new leadership wants to handle a proven name on an expiring contract. Marc Stein reported that Dallas is leaning toward exploring trade possibilities first, leaving the broader market to sort out whether a move can be made before any tougher decision comes into view. [Read more 🡒]
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Mavs Summer League coach Joe Boylan has already singled him out as an unsung hero, and that kind of praise matters in a setting where coaches are usually more focused on sorting through the noise than handing out compliments. Dallas does not have an open roster spot right now, but the expectation is that he will still get a training camp invite, giving him a real chance to keep pushing for a future roster or two-way opening. [Read more 🡒]