Even in the player empowerment era, the NBA can be a cutthroat business. When a player does everything they're supposed to on the court and off, there's still no guarantee they'd get their desired outcome in the open market. It's been a tough summer in that regard for Peyton Watson, the Denver Nuggets' breakout small forward who seemingly made the jump from intriguing bench player to everyday starter and impact role player, making his availability a rare opportunity for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks have long been rumored to show interest in Watson as a restricted free agent or sign-and-trade candidate this summer. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and two combined steals + blocks in 54 games last season on an impressive 49% from the field and 41% from 3-point range. He instantly became the talk of the town as one of the best young players on the free-agent market this summer who could actually be pried away from his team.
Now, the Denver Nuggets have been backed into a corner after matching an offer sheet on another restricted free agent, Spencer Jones, effectively taking them over the Second Apron and putting the franchise in a financial hole that no other team is willing to accept this season. So if the Bucks are serious about adding Watson to what's already a fascinating young core, this is the time to strike.
The Milwaukee Bucks are now in a prime position to steal Peyton Watson from the Nuggets.
According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, Watson is considering all his options right now, including returning to the Nuggets on a qualifying offer and seeking a more substantial long-term deal next summer. He also suggests that Watson is looking at the $25 million average annual value (AAV) contract Denver gave to Christian Braun and feels that he deserves something in that same range.
Unless another team is willing to use cap space or dump salary to make a deal work, Milwaukee is the only team with the means to acquire Watson through traditional methods, using the $25.5 million trade exception the team acquired in the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. However, this would likely require them to give up some of the assets they just recouped in the Miami trade.
It'll be a tough call for Bucks GM Jon Horst and his crew as they decide whether to leverage some of the financial flexibility and draft capital they just earned before even seeing what this team looks like. But a player like Watson might be difficult to come by down the line, and those picks are no guarantee — especially given the last decade of this team's draft history.
So even though Watson is an exciting player to pursue, there's no guarantee the Bucks get the job done. The good news is that the clock is ticking and we should find out relatively soon whether he'll be the next centerpiece of this Milwaukee Bucks young core.
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