The Denver Nuggets are close to wrapping up their 2026 offseason, and the roster is nearly full after the re-signing of Spencer Jones. But even with 13 players on standard contracts, one obvious problem still hangs over the group: the backcourt is thin, and Peyton Watson won’t solve that.
Watson is expected to be Denver’s 14th rostered player if the two sides can agree to a new deal, and that would be a sensible move for the Nuggets. The 23-year-old brings versatility and upside, and keeping him in Denver makes plenty of sense.
Still, his return would only address part of the picture. It would not repair the team’s guard depth.
Right now, Denver’s guard room includes Jamal Murray, Christian Braun, Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther, and two-way KJ Simpson. Murray and Braun give the Nuggets a solid starting pair, but the depth behind them is where the concern starts.
Strawther, 24, could potentially step into the kind of bench shooting role Tim Hardaway Jr. filled, but he remains largely unproven. Jones, meanwhile, is not viewed as the kind of player Denver wants running the second unit full-time; the Nuggets seem far more comfortable with him as a third-string point guard.
That issue was already on head coach David Adelman’s radar when the season ended. He pointed directly to the team’s lack of ball-handling and athleticism as major shortcomings.
"I do think that what stood out was ball-handling, handling pressure... that really hurt us," Adelman said in his end-of-season press conference. "Athleticism is part of the league... just a little bit more of that, it puts you in a series to win. I do think that the ball handling we didn't have in the Minnesota series did hurt"
So far, the front office’s response has been limited. Denver brought back Tyus Jones and declined Jalen Pickett’s team option, and that’s been the extent of the backcourt movement. No new guard additions have arrived, and if Watson takes the 14th spot, the Nuggets will have only one remaining shot to address the issue.
That final move would have to come on a veteran minimum deal, which at least gives Denver a chance to add another body to the backcourt. The problem is that the market is getting thin. Among the names still out there are Gabe Vincent, Cam Thomas, Aaron Holiday, Bradley Beal, and Brandon Williams, along with possible reunions with Russell Westbrook, Bruce Brown, and Jalen Pickett.
The Nuggets are running low on realistic options, and they’ll need one of those available guards to fit. If Watson returns, he should slot in as Denver’s primary backup shooting guard. But even then, the team still looks like it needs a better answer behind the point guard spot.
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The intrigue only grows because this is no simple one-team negotiation. Brooklyn has been mentioned as a possible third-party helper in the kind of deal that could reshape the Rockets roster and alter the balance of the Eastern Conference, while Durants reported interest in a fresh partnership elsewhere adds another layer to the speculation. For the Nuggets, it is another reminder that even after a title run, their core pieces can keep surfacing in conversations tied to the NBAs biggest stars. [Read more 🡒]