At the end of the day, keeping Peyton Watson on the Denver Nuggets meant that the Nuggets would likely have had to part with Cameron Johnson, plus give Watson a big contract. So far, the Nuggets are coming out ahead in the deal that sent Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Johnson and Watson are on opposite ends of the spectrum offensively to start the year.
Sure, it's a small sample, but Watson hasn't pleased the Cavs fans, and he's been terrible from beyond the arc. In 11 games, Watson is shooting an abysmal 21.3% from downtown, and he's clearly missing playing with Nikola Jokic. Watson shot 41.1% last year from three in the Nuggets' offense. But Watson's woes aren't limited to his three-point shot. He's shooting just 46.5% from two, down from 53.1% last year as well.
Keeping Johnson over Watson was the right move
The Nuggets essentially chose to keep Johnson over Watson for this season, while picking up the Cavs 2031 first-round pick that could turn into a gem, plus a future second-round pick. That was the right choice. The Nuggets not only dodged the gamble on Watson's offensive game, which cost the Cavs a four-year, $88 million contract, but the Nuggets are coming out well ahead because of what Johnson does in his role for the Nuggets.
The Nuggets' three-point shooting has been pretty rough this season compared to last year, when they led the league at 39.6% from downtown. They're just 35.4% from deep, which is good enough to sit in 14th place. But that's not on Cam.
In fact, the Nuggets need Johnson and his 43.2% from three to shoot even more than the 5.3 attempts per game he's currently averaging. Johnson helps provide elite spacing for the offense, and he's crafty in how he moves without the ball to find open spots for his quick catch-and-fire jumper. Johnson has also been highly efficient from two-point range, shooting 59.3%.
Yes, Watson is the better defensive player of the two, but it's not like Johnson is a defensive liability. Johnson is one of the Nuggets' more solid defenders.
The Nuggets have more financial flexibility next offseason
The Nuggets are already looking at $190 million in salary commitments for 2027-28 with just seven players under contract for the season. Keeping Watson wasn't a worthwhile financial gamble in the long term. The Nuggets learned their lessons with the Zeke Nnaji and Christian Braun extensions.
Now, without that extra $22 million or so on the books, the Nuggets can start the year under the first and second aprons, giving them much more flexibility to construct the roster than they had this season.
Sure, the sample isn't large. But given that the Nuggets really need three-point shooting this year and financial flexibility next year, the trade is coming out in the Nuggets' favor.
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