Much of the focus in recent days has been on a potential rookie extension for Christian Braun, which got done on Monday with a new five-year, $125 million deal being signed. But flying under the radar is the fact that Peyton Watson was also eligible for an extension, but the deadline has now come and gone.
That means Watson will play out this season, the final year of his rookie deal, before hitting restricted free agency next summer. On one hand, that means the Nuggets will have the right to match any offer that Watson receives from another team.
On the other hand, we just saw how the restricted free agency process is broken and can cause irreparable rifts between teams and players. Just look at the situation that played out with guys like Jonathan Kuminga, Cam Thomas, and Quentin Grimes. Each of those players appears to be disgruntled and has no future with their current team.
That would be a brutal outcome for Watson and the Nuggets. It would be a real shame to see a player the Nuggets have drafted and developed grow sour with the franchise and turn his back on Denver. Yet, he now sits with no deal, knowing the Nuggets have all the power and he may end up as nothing more than trade bait.
Nuggets may lose Watson for financial reasons
But beyond the horrors of restricted free agency lie the perils of the NBA’s luxury tax. According to Jake Fischer, the Nuggets’ owners, the Kroenkes, have indicated that they don’t want to pay the tax next season. That’s going to require an awful lot of cost-cutting moves, especially after inking Braun to an extension, and would almost certainly mean the end of Watson’s tenure in Denver.
There’s a very real chance that the team is doing everything to shed money and won’t even make a legitimate offer to Watson. Clearly, they prioritized Braun this offseason (and rightfully so), and next season they’ll have rookie extension decisions on Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett, plus a massive supermax deal due for Nikola Jokic.
No matter how you spin it, the Nuggets are going to make some unpopular moves, strictly to save money. Watson is almost certain to be one of the casualties, regardless of how he plays this season.
If he has a rough year, the team may decide it’s just best to move on and invest in veteran talent on short deals. And if he plays well, his next contract will almost surely be too rich for the Nuggets’ liking. Either way, the sad truth is we’re probably looking at the last year of Peyton Watson in a Nuggets uniform.