Peyton Watson’s restricted free agency has put the Nuggets in a tight spot, and the path forward still looks pretty clear: pay him, let him take the one-year, $6.5 million qualifying offer, or work out a sign-and-trade and recoup something while they still can.
Denver would obviously prefer to lock Watson into a long-term deal, but the two sides remain far apart in negotiations. If the Nuggets decide they have to move him, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported three teams have already surfaced as serious possibilities: the Cleveland Cavaliers, the L.A. Clippers and the Milwaukee Bucks.
“They are in active trade talks with multiple teams on a Peyton Watson sign-and-trade. That includes Cleveland, Milwaukee, and the Clippers.
There are combinations of player packages, pick packages as well. So either they're gonna trade him, or you could potentially have him back on a one-year, $6.5 million qualifying offer,” he said on ESPN's NBA Today.
Among those three, the Clippers look like the cleanest fit for Denver. A package built around Kris Dunn and a future first-round pick would give the Nuggets the kind of return they’d actually want.
Dunn is in the final year of his contract and is extension eligible, and he checks the most important box here: he’s a steady backup guard who can handle the ball and defend the other team’s top option. Derrick Jones Jr. would be a similar kind of get, though not as strong a fit for what Denver needs.
The Clippers are also dealing with the Kawhi Leonard investigation, which has stalled their trade with Toronto, and they may not be eager to part with a first-rounder. Even so, this is the best-case outcome for the Nuggets if talks get serious again.
Milwaukee lands in the middle. The Bucks reportedly aren’t eager to include a first-round pick in a Watson deal, according to The Athletic's Eric Nehm, which makes the ceiling here a little lower.
Denver could keep pushing for Ryan Rollins, and that’s the name that would really move the needle. He’s the type of rising guard who could lead the second unit.
But that looks like a long shot this offseason. A more realistic framework centers on Jaime Jaquez Jr. and two future second-round picks.
Jaquez, 25, would likely need an extension to stick in Denver long term, but he would at least give the Nuggets a productive backup forward.
Cleveland looks like the toughest sell of the three. If the Cavaliers want Watson, they probably have to put a first-round pick into the deal because they don’t have the kind of high-end trade pieces Denver is hunting for.
Max Strus is a strong shooter, but he’s on an expiring $16.6 million contract, and that doesn’t exactly scream value for Watson. Denver could also ask for Jaylon Tyson or Sam Merrill, both of whom might be more appealing to the Nuggets.
A package built around Tyson, a future first-round pick and two future second-round picks would be more interesting, but the Cavaliers still feel like the least likely team to put together the kind of return Denver would prefer.
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