Peyton Watson has turned himself into one of the summer’s most intriguing restricted free agents, but the Lakers may have already been boxed out of the conversation.
After a breakout 2025-26 season with the Denver Nuggets, the UCLA product put together the kind of year that gets front offices paying attention. He averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from three. That’s the profile of a legitimate high-end three-and-D wing, and it’s easy to see why teams would circle him.
Los Angeles is one of the clubs that could use exactly that kind of player, particularly if it misses out on former Golden State Warriors NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga. But according to the Stein Line’s Jake Fischer, the Lakers don’t appear to have a realistic path to Watson right now.
"Well, like I just said, the Lakers don't have the draft capital to play ball with Denver's asking price," Fischer said Wednesday. "The Lakers are limited to one 2032 first-round pick swap. They don't have any first-round picks they can trade, so that's just a non-starter for Denver.”
He added that the Lakers’ interest is real, even if the mechanics of a deal are not.
"But the Lakers have had an interest in Peyton Watson dating back to the trade deadline. So it's not that they're not interested in him. I just think the Lakers know that there is no real plausible path for them to satisfy Denver's wishes in a sign-and-trade."
That lack of flexibility is the key issue. The Lakers’ all-in move for ex-Utah Jazz standout center Walker Kessler in an early July sign-and-trade - one that sent two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to Utah - leaves them in a tough spot when it comes to chasing another major piece.
Atlanta Hawks reportedly expressed interest in, wouldn’t be a bad idea.
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