The Peyton Watson saga continues on in Denver with no end in sight, but it sounds like things are trending in the direction of a sign-and-trade or Watson playing out the year on the qualifying offer of $6.5 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. Neither of those options is particularly appealing for the Nuggets, but at least in a theoretical sign-and-trade scenario, they could recoup some value with his exit.
And it sounds like that’s what they’re aiming to do, according to the latest update from Shams Charania of ESPN, who reported that the Nuggets are active in trade talks with the Cavaliers, Bucks, and Clippers, discussing packages including both players and draft picks.
Getting a good player or two and some picks in exchange for Watson would be a decent way to salvage this ugly situation at this point. The only problem with that idea is that after matching the Thunder’s offer sheet and re-signing Spencer Jones, the Nuggets are currently above the second apron, thus not allowed to take back any players in a sign-and-trade deal.
I don’t think that Shams is lying or making up this report. And I also don’t think that these teams are dumb enough not to know the rules of the CBA. So, the only logical conclusion I can draw is that Denver plans to make another trade to cut money and duck under the second apron before executing any deal involving Watson.
Nuggets must duck 2nd apron to take back players in sign-and-trade
No matter what they say, I still believe that the Nuggets want to get out of the second apron when it’s all said and done, regardless of how the Watson situation shakes out. That means making a trade eventually to shed money, and if the plan is now to trade Watson, it would be crazy not to get any players back, especially if reports are true that the pick-based packages have been underwhelming.
Denver is only about $2 million over the second apron, so moving anyone on the roster outside of rookies Trevon Brazile and Alpha Diallo, without taking any money back, would do the trick. The obvious candidate to move is the guy that the Nuggets have been trying to dump for years, and that’s Zeke Nnaji. But as we’ve seen, that’s going to be a lot easier said than done.
If they can’t find any takers for Nnaji, they may have to move someone like Julian Strawther or DaRon Holmes, which would be painful after drafting those players and investing in them for years, but they may not have another choice.
Either way, they’re going to have to do something, and it’s only a matter of time. Surely, this is part of the holdup in trade talks, and the Nuggets must be working furiously behind the scenes to figure this puzzle out after the Thunder tightened the screws a bit by forcing their hand with the Jones deal. That’s the price you pay for mismanaging the roster and your assets for years. Hopefully, they can climb out of this mess, but it’s not going to be easy and may not end well.
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