The Lakers know the roster needs help, and the list of problems doesn’t exactly shrink in the near future. With limited assets and few clean ways to get better, Los Angeles is stuck in a tough spot unless it gets inventive.
That’s where Peyton Watson comes in. The Denver Nuggets forward has been floated as a possible sign-and-trade target, and he’s the kind of young player who could make sense for the Lakers if they decide to pursue a move.
But Denver’s asking price may be steep enough to make the idea a long shot. Sean Deveny reported that “There would be a limited market for a Peyton Watson sign-and-trade because Denver would only do the deal if they could take little or no money back and receive a first-round pick.
Watson is a restricted free agent, and the Nuggets are very much in control of the situation. It would be a similar setup to what the Lakers did to acquire Walker Kessler, but with less money and less draft capital,” Sean Deveny wrote.
The comparison to Walker Kessler is the key part here. Even if the Lakers wouldn’t need to part with the same kind of draft haul, the framework would look familiar: a controlled negotiation, a first-round pick in the conversation, and a team with leverage on the other side.
So while Watson fits the kind of swing the Lakers might need, the price tag could be enough to keep the whole thing from going anywhere. Over the next few weeks, that’s the question Los Angeles has to answer - whether this is a real path to improvement or just another option that looks better on paper than it does in practice.
In Other News...
Nuggets May Be Weighing A Move Fans Never Wanted Around Jokic
Denvers offseason has been quieter than many around the league expected, and that silence has only fueled the sense that something could still be brewing around Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets have not made any official statement about a major shakeup, but the conversation has shifted toward whether the front office is looking to retool the supporting cast rather than stand pat.
Jamal Murray has inevitably become part of that discussion, which is the kind of idea that tends to land hard with a fan base that has watched him grow alongside Jokic. He still has three years and $160 million left on his deal, so any real movement would be complicated, but the broader question is whether Denver is willing to consider a different look if it believes the right upgrade is out there. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Backup Center Drama Feels Like It Is Reaching A Breaking Point
The backup-center market has been moving around the Nuggets in a way that makes their own frontcourt questions feel even more urgent. The Lakers addressed one of those spots by signing Kevon Looney to a one-year deal, and around Denver the focus has shifted back to Jonas Valanciunas, whose contract situation is now sitting right in the middle of the teams roster calculus.
Valanciunas has not even reached the point where Denver has to make a final call, but the July 8 guarantee date is close enough that every new addition and every bit of roster shuffling gets read as a clue. With Marvin Bagley III now in the mix, the Nuggets have more reason to weigh fit, cost and depth all at once, and that is what has made this backup center situation feel like it could tip in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]