Given how hard it is to find big, versatile wings, Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson figures to command significant interest this summer. While the Nuggets have some control over this situation with the right to match any offer sheet he signs, they may not have the willingness to pay that price while maintaining what’s already a costly core.
Now, that doesn’t mean Denver will just let Watson walk out the door. It has, however, generated real “belief around the league…that Cameron Johnson (on an expiring $23 million deal) or Christian Braun (on a five-year, $125 million extension signed in the fall) is likely to be moved to create enough room to give Watson something in the per-year range of those players,” per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.
Watson encountered a ton of injury trouble down the stretch, so the Nuggets could be cautious about handing him a blank check. That said, their defense disintegrated without him, so they’ll probably be more careful about losing a legitimate solution to perhaps their biggest problem.
In other words, Johnson and Braun probably shouldn’t get too comfortable in their current digs. While it’s hard to gauge their value on the trade market, everyone should expect Denver to find that out and act accordingly. Selling low on either swingman isn’t ideal, but losing Watson over a lack of funds (or at least the willingness to spend) would do far more damage.
