Peyton Watson hasn't played a minute in the Nuggets' first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he's still going to be sidelined for Game 6 with a hamstring injury that has left him "week to week" for close to a month. But that hasn't stopped the rumors and discussion about his upcoming foray into free agency this summer. It's background noise right now, but once the season ends, it's going to be hard to tune out all of the P-Wat rumor-mill noise.
Watson was featured in the most recent "The Stein Line" (subscription required) post by guest columnist Jake Fischer. It's another blip on the radar, a reminder of Watson's looming problem for the Nuggets this summer.
Watson is going to be courted by many
The Nuggets know they're in for a fight to keep Watson. He's going to be one of, if not the most coveted, restricted free agents on the market. He's already been linked to plenty of Lakers rumors, and he's surely going to field offers from other teams as well.
That's because Watson had a career year, and when he was given the chance to step up in Nikola Jokic's absence, he went to another level entirely. Watson averaged 22.1 points per game across 15 games during Jokic's 16-game absence, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and an impressive 1.6 blocks per game. He also took home a Player of the Week Award in January for his stellar play.
The Nuggets need Watson back, but don't have any wiggle room left
The Nuggets sorely miss Watson against the Timberwolves. His athleticism is missing on the perimeter, and his ability to create off the dribble would help open up spacing for everyone. More importantly, he may have been a driving force in stopping the Wolves' guards from getting into the paint so much in the first place, stopping the leak that has been rim protection for the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic in the paint.
Watson will clearly be a priority for the Nuggets this offseason, but the problem is that they don't have any cap space left for him. Or just about anyone, without some financial wizardry, trades, or cuts. Or all of the above.
The Nuggets are perilously close to the NBA's second-apron tax, well beyond the luxury tax threshold, and on pace to open the season with a cap hit of nearly $217 million, with only 11 players accounting for that spend. It's a rough spot for the Nuggets. And as summer approaches, the noise around Watson is surely only going to grow louder. Good luck tuning it out.
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