The Denver Nuggets aren't directly involved in the Kawhi Leonard trade that is on hold between the Raptors and Clippers, but that doesn't mean they won't be hit with the ripple effects of whatever happens. Los Angeles has been seriously interested in landing Peyton Watson, but, as noted on the latest episode of The Zach Lowe Show, without the draft picks from Toronto, the team can't make the kind of offer Denver is looking for in a sign-and-trade:
"Imagine being the Clippers. Peyton Watson is just sitting there as a restricted free agent. You have cap room... The Clippers would certainly like to, maybe, if they wanted to, make an offer for Peyton Watson. Do they have the Raptors' draft picks? They don't have the Raptors' draft picks. Are they ever going to get them? We don't know."
Los Angeles agreed to send Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, a 2031 unprotected first-round pick, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks to Toronto for Leonard.
If the trade goes through, the Clippers could send some of that draft capital to the Nuggets for Watson.
Peyton Watson is feeling ripple effects of Kawhi trade hold-up
As Jake Fischer of The Stein Line reported last week, Denver's sign-and-trade asking price for Watson has been too "steep" for Los Angeles, with the Nuggets reportedly wanting a package similar to what the Jazz received for Walker Kessler.
You can interpret that as Denver doesn't want to let go of the 23-year-old (as that is the case), but it could be willing to do so at the right price. If the Kawhi trade went through and the Clippers then met the Nuggets' demands, the draft capital would be nice to have (especially one of those unprotected picks), but it'd also mean losing a key contributor in the Nikola Jokić era.
Watson is a young, high-level, versatile wing who impacts winning, traits that make him desirable to every team in the NBA. As Sam Amick of The Athletic previously reported, Denver entered free agency intending to match any offer that P-Wat received, even with its already high payroll for next season. There is a reason for that.
He's coming off a breakout season, one that unfortunately ended early due to hamstring issues. With the Nuggets seemingly moving toward running it back with essentially the same roster, they understand (if only they had last October) the importance of Watson to achieving that goal. Since Jokić is the priority, retaining the wing only makes sense.
Then again, Denver could justify (or at least try to) accepting a sign-and-trade proposal from LA by looking ahead to how things will be in a few years. Fans could counter that Jokić is a one-of-a-kind player, so the Nuggets should focus on the present and care less about what the future looks like. They already know who they have in Watson, and can't say the same for whatever players they'd land in drafts down the road.
It will be interesting to see how things shake out between Toronto and LA, an outcome Denver, of course, has its eye on, as Watson's future with the organization could be on the line.
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