The Denver Nuggets are staring at an offseason that already looks like a step backward, and Peyton Watson’s exit is a big part of why.
After Denver’s first-round playoff loss, the roster has taken hits. Tim Hardaway Jr. is gone.
Bruce Brown is gone. And now Watson, 23, is headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a sign-and-trade that lands him a new four-year, $88 million deal.
Denver wasn’t willing to match that price, and the Nuggets will have to live with what they lost.
Watson didn’t sound bitter about the move when he spoke in his introductory press conference in Cleveland. Instead, he made sure to give Nikola Jokic his due for the role the three-time NBA MVP played in his development.
"I think my IQ for the game has gotten a lot better just playing with [Jokic]," Watson said. "Knowing the right places to be at the right times.
And knowing how to play with a superstar is something that's invaluable in this league with so much talent. I think you need to always know how to play off of other players and how to make other players better, even if you don't necessarily have the ball in your hands.
Playing with him is something that definitely sharpened my IQ and my overall mentality toward the game."
That’s the part of Watson’s departure that makes this one sting a little more for Denver: even as people rush to credit Jokic for everything Watson became, the wing himself is making it clear the relationship worked both ways. Jokic helped teach him how to think the game, how to move, and how to fit around a superstar. Watson still earned his own reputation as a versatile two-way piece.
And there’s proof he can produce when Jokic isn’t on the floor. Last season, Watson’s best stretch came with Jokic sidelined.
In 15 games without him, Watson put up 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.6 stocks while shooting 48.6% from the field and 44.3% from three. That run gave a real glimpse of what he can do when he’s asked to carry more.
His next setup will look very different in Cleveland. Watson is set to join a starting group with four current or former All-Stars: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen. The spotlight will be different, but the expectation is the same: bring impact, whether the stars around him are shining or not.
For Denver, the hope now is that Jokic keeps doing what he always does - making everybody around him better. The Nuggets will need Julian Strawther, Alpha Diallo, and Trevon Brazile to take on bigger roles and help absorb the loss of Watson’s presence.
The Nuggets may have wanted to keep him. They didn’t. Now they’ll have to watch him in Cleveland and see whether letting him walk becomes one of those offseason decisions that lingers.
In Other News...
Nuggets Add Intriguing Wing With Something To Prove In Camp
The Nuggets used their final two-way roster spot to bring in another wing with NBA experience, adding a player who has already logged meaningful minutes for both Houston and Washington. Cam Whitmore arrives as he heads into his fourth season, carrying a career average of 10.5 points and 3.3 rebounds across 119 games, and he gives Denver another look at a young player still trying to carve out a steady role.
For the Nuggets, the move is as much about flexibility as it is about upside. A two-way deal lets the team keep a developing perimeter option in the building without giving up much roster room, and camp will offer Whitmore a chance to show he can fit into Denvers system while proving there is more to his game than what he has already shown around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Just Took A Low-Risk Flier With Real Upside
Cam Whitmore is heading to Denver on a one-year two-way deal, giving the Nuggets a low-cost swing on a former first-round talent with plenty left to prove. The 20th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, Whitmore had been moved from Washington to Cleveland before being waived by the Cavaliers, and now gets a fresh start with a team that is always looking for value around the edges of the roster.
For Denver, the move comes with little downside and some real upside if Whitmore can settle in and turn his draft pedigree into production. The signing also locks up the Nuggets' third two-way roster spot for the 2026/27 season, so this is a decision with immediate roster implications even if the bigger question is whether Whitmore can carve out a longer-term place in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Nuggets Now Face A Bruce Brown Problem They Created
When Denver decided not to bring back Bruce Brown, it wasnt just losing a familiar reserve, it was giving up one of the steadier pieces of the second unit. Brown gave the Nuggets exactly the kind of nightly reliability contenders lean on, appearing in every game last season while supplying efficient scoring, rebounding, playmaking and defensive activity without needing the ball in his hands for long stretches.
Now the ripple effect is showing up in the backcourt picture. Denver is left sorting through backup options like Tyus Jones, Julian Strawther and Lonnie Walker IV, but none of them match Browns blend of versatility and trust earned over a full season in the rotation. Brown, meanwhile, has surfaced with the Knicks on an Exhibit 9 deal as he tries to carve out a roster spot, a reminder that the Nuggets are now trying to replace a player they already know how useful he can be. [Read more 🡒]