Fourth-year forward Peyton Watson has been a revelation for the Denver Nuggets this season.
After playing sparingly during his first two seasons in the league, Watson saw his role increase with the Nuggets last season, but he took a major step forward both in terms of usage and production this year.
Watson started 40 games for Denver during the regular season, which is more than he totaled in the previous three seasons combined. That would have been even higher for Watson had he not missed a significant chunk of time due to a hamstring injury.
Nuggets Predicted to Lose Peyton Watson in Free Agency
In those 40 starts (and 54 total appearances) for the Nuggets this season, Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks per performance.
While Watson’s solid production has been a big boon for Denver during the current campaign, it might be bad news when it comes to the team’s ability to keep him around long-term. Watson is headed for restricted free agency over the offseason and there’s a chance that he’s played himself out of Denver’s price range this season.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report recently included Watson on a list of upcoming free agents most likely to change teams. He cited Denver’s already-tight salary situation as the main rationale for Watson’s inclusion.
“The Denver Nuggets hold all the cards with their restricted free agent forward, but will the team choose to let him go rather than face luxury tax and apron penalties?… Since he’s restricted, he’d need to sign an offer sheet, which would give Denver roughly a day to decide,” Pincus wrote.
“The challenge is the sizable obligation to Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson. The franchise may need to let backup center Jonas Valančiūnas go to get under the second apron since only $2 million of his $10 million is guaranteed for 2026-27. … The solution would be trading Johnson to afford Watson, though cap-strapped teams may put enough pressure on the Nuggets in an offer to Watson that Denver opts to let him go.”
Nuggets Have Several Players Headed for Free Agency Over the Offseason
Watson’s situation is different than that of other free agents, since he’s restricted as opposed to unrestricted, which means that the Nuggets will get an opportunity to match any outside offers. But just because they can doesn’t mean they will. Watson could receive an enormous offer from an outside suitor that the Nuggets simply don’t feel comfortable matching. That’s not out of the realm of possibility in today’s NBA.
For what it’s worth, the Nuggets were rebuffing trade interest in Watson leading up to the deadline in February. So they obviously value him highly and would love to re-sign him in free agency, if possible.
In addition to Watson, the Nuggets also have several other players headed for free agency over the offseason. Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown Jr. and Tyus Jones will all be unrestricted free agents, while Spencer Jones and two-way players David Roddy are all also restricted free agents.
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