Peyton Watson is still sitting near the top of the offseason trade board, and the latest reporting out of Denver has only made him more attainable. With the Nuggets dealing from a financial squeeze as the lone team in the second apron, rival teams are circling and hoping to pry away one of their young standouts through a sign-and-trade.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Denver has already softened its demands for Watson. What was once described as a massive ask - two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps - has reportedly come down to one “high-level player” and one first-round pick.
That lines up with what NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote on The Stein Line, where he said Denver is looking for the “equivalent of at least two first-round picks in any sign-and-trade in which it loses Watson.”
For Portland, that kind of price is at least workable. The Blazers didn’t give up any meaningful assets in their surprising trade for Ja Morant, which leaves them in position to make a real run at Watson if they choose. And they should, because the fit is obvious: Watson is 23, still climbing, and lines up well with the timeline of Portland’s young core.
There’s also a familiar feel to the potential cost. The situation has shades of the Deni Avdija move, where Portland paid what looked like a premium for a player just beginning to hit his stride. Watson’s rise may not follow the exact same path, but the asking price sounds awfully close to what the Blazers eventually sent to Washington for Avdija.
At the very least, Portland ought to be in the conversation. Watson is one of the best trade candidates still available this offseason, and he checks a lot of boxes for a team trying to build without rushing the process.
The question is whether the Blazers are willing to move fast enough. Fischer also reported that the Milwaukee Bucks are currently viewed as the “most likely external suitor” for Watson.
That would sting for Portland on two levels. First, it would mean another missed chance to add a young talent this summer. Second, it would strengthen Milwaukee’s side of the equation, which matters because the Bucks are now leaning into a post-Giannis rebuild while still being tied to the draft future they no longer fully control because of the Damian Lillard trade that went sideways.
From that angle, Watson fits Milwaukee too. He gives them a player who can help right away while still growing with a younger group, and they do not have to worry about accidentally winning too much and sliding out of prime draft position after the league’s latest changes to lottery odds.
That is exactly why Portland should be pushing here. Watson fits the Blazers’ two-timeline approach, and the fact that Milwaukee is now the front-runner should only sharpen the urgency. If the Blazers let this one slip, they would not only miss out on a useful piece for their own roster, but they could also help the Bucks improve the value of the draft capital Portland is still owed through Milwaukee.
For a quiet offseason, this is the kind of chance that can change the mood fast. Portland just has to act like it knows it.
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