The Denver Nuggets may have another team to worry about in the Peyton Watson sweepstakes.
After the Los Angeles Clippers spent much of the week viewed as the biggest external threat to lure Watson away in restricted free agency, the Atlanta Hawks have emerged as another potential suitor.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Friday in The Stein Line that Atlanta has recently entered the picture, creating another possible pathway for Watson should contract negotiations with Denver remain unresolved.
“Atlanta, sources say, has also shown some fresh interest in Watson, which would likewise require a sign-and-trade to make it happen,” Fischer wrote.
The report marks the first time the Hawks have surfaced as a serious contender for the 23-year-old forward, broadening what had largely been viewed as a Nuggets-versus-Clippers battle.
Any move, however, would still require Denver’s cooperation because Watson remains a restricted free agent.
Clippers No Longer Alone in Pursuit
The Hawks’ emergence comes less than 24 hours after Fischer suggested the Clippers were becoming less likely to aggressively pursue Watson than previously believed.
Speaking during Bleacher Report’s NBA Summer League livestream Thursday in Las Vegas, Fischer said Los Angeles has increasingly shifted its attention toward re-signing its own restricted free agent, Bennedict Mathurin.
“I’ve been told that the Clippers, at this point in time, are actually more likely than we thought before earlier in the week to bring back Ben Mathurin in comparison to bringing in Peyton Watson,” Fischer said.
Earlier in the week, Fischer had identified the Clippers as the Nuggets’ primary competition for Watson.
The Hawks’ newfound interest gives Denver another team to worry about.
While Fischer did not indicate Atlanta has overtaken the Clippers as Watson’s top outside suitor, the latest report suggests the market for the former first-round pick continues to evolve.
Watson Remains a Nuggets Priority
Despite the growing outside interest, the Nuggets have consistently maintained that bringing Watson back remains one of their top offseason objectives.
Negotiations between Denver and Watson’s representatives have continued throughout free agency, with previous reporting indicating the discussions have centered on contract value rather than a desire by either side to part ways.
Earlier this week, Fischer said the relationship between the two sides remains strong.
“Peyton Watson wants to be in Denver,” Fischer said. “Denver wants him to stick around.”
Watson strengthened his value during a breakout 2025-26 season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks while emerging as one of Denver’s most versatile two-way players.
When three-time MVP Nikola Jokić missed time late in the season with a hyperextended knee, Watson assumed an even larger offensive role, averaging 22.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.4 blocks over a 17-game stretch.
That production reinforced why Denver views the 23-year-old as an important piece of its championship core.
Now, another Eastern Conference team has entered the chase.
Whether Atlanta’s interest develops into a legitimate sign-and-trade pursuit remains to be seen, but Fischer’s latest reporting makes one thing clear: the Clippers are no longer the Nuggets’ only outside competition for one of their most promising young players.
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