Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Friday that Peyton Watson is receiving "significant trade interest" leading up to the deadline, but the Denver Nuggets have "rebuffed" calls and want to re-sign the 23-year-old this summer.
Denver didn't extend Watson before last October's deadline, choosing instead to sign Christian Braun to a five-year, $125 million extension after his 2024-25 breakout season. At media day, though, which took place before the extension deadline, Ben Tenzer said he hoped that Watson and Braun would be with the organization for "a long time." Extending both would've meant entering the second tax apron.
At this point, though, losing Watson in restricted free agency should be one of the last things that Denver wants. He has raised his price tag significantly over the past few months, meaning that the front office will have to make some tough financial decisions to keep him around. Losing him — especially for nothing — would be a nightmare.
The Nuggets will be able to match any offer sheet that the forward receives in free agency. They could also find a sign-and-trade deal, making his departure sting a little less, but that isn't what fans want to see, not with the way that he's been playing.
Nuggets want to re-sign Peyton Watson this summer
Watson was playing well before Nikola Jokić got hurt at the end of December, but since then, he's reached a new level. In January alone, he's averaging 23.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game on 51.5/47.6/74 shooting splits. He's also recorded two 30+ point games during that span, including one in an impressive 114-110 win over Boston at TD Garden.
Entering the season, fans heard a lot about how Watson had improved during the summer, from players and David Adelman. That clearly wasn't all talk. No one could have predicted that injuries would hamper the Nuggets the way they have, resulting in Watson having the season he is having. He is playing better than perhaps even the optimists thought.
It makes sense why teams have been calling Denver to check on his status. Why not try, considering the Nuggets are strapped financially? It also makes sense that the team isn't considering moving Watson. He's played far too well for that to be a possibility, even though he is due for a new contract.
Right now, the team is focused on getting everyone healthy and finishing the second half of the season strong, while the front office is clearly already prioritizing retaining Watson this offseason — as they should be.