The market for Peyton Watson is starting to look like a full-blown summer standoff.
Denver’s restricted free agent has drawn serious sign-and-trade interest, and according to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Milwaukee Bucks are now actively trying to pry the young wing away from the Nuggets. Milwaukee joins a list that already includes the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, both of whom have also shown heavy interest in the rising defender.
Watson’s breakout 2025-26 season is exactly why the phone lines are buzzing. The 23-year-old forward put together career-best numbers across the board, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 54 games. He also made his biggest impact during a 17-game run in January, when Nikola Jokic was sidelined with a knee injury and Watson helped keep Denver afloat.
He flashed again late in the season against the Utah Jazz in April, finishing with six points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
But landing him is going to take more than just interest. Watson and his agent, Rich Paul, are reportedly aiming for a starting deal worth more than $25 million per year, and Denver is asking for a massive return in any sign-and-trade. The Nuggets are said to be holding out for a package comparable to what the Utah Jazz received for Walker Kessler: two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.
Milwaukee does have a $25.5 million trade exception that could help it take on a sizable contract, but that still doesn’t solve the bigger issue. Denver’s price tag is steep enough to slow everybody down, and if the Nuggets don’t soften their stance, rival teams may have to pivot.
For now, Watson’s restricted free agency is shaping up as one of the summer’s biggest chess matches, with the Bucks, Clippers and Hawks all circling.
In Other News...
Nuggets Still Have One Offseason Domino Holding Up The Rest
A busy July around the NBA has left plenty of reported moves sitting in limbo, and Denver is among the teams still waiting for the paperwork to catch up with the headlines. Around the league, trades and free-agent deals have been announced before or during the moratorium, but several of them still need to be finalized, and the Nuggets are part of that broader holding pattern as they sort through the last pieces of their offseason.
For Denver, the delay is tied to the clubs own cap housekeeping, with restricted free agents Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones part of the equation as the front office works through what comes next. The Nuggets have already lined up signings on paper, but the timing matters because the wrong sequence could complicate how cleanly they can complete the rest of the roster, especially if they need to keep enough flexibility for minimum-salary additions. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Got A Brutal Verdict On Their Offseason Approach
The Nuggets have spent much of the offseason in a quieter lane than many around the league expected, making only a handful of moves while trying to keep the roster intact. Denver signed Marvin Bagley and Alpha Diallo, brought back Tyus Jones, and moved on from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas, a conservative approach that reflects how little flexibility the front office has with contracts and future draft picks.
That restraint is not drawing much praise so far. The Athletics Zach Harper handed Denver a D- for its offseason to this point, pointing to the way the team has handled its depth and the lack of obvious answers behind the main rotation pieces. For a Nuggets team that was always likely to be judged by how it filled out the edges, the early verdict has been a harsh one. [Read more 🡒]