The longer the stagnation has drawn out in negotiations for the Denver Nuggets and Peyton Watson, the more the leverage has shifted back in the Nuggets' favor. But that doesn't mean the rumored offers for Watson aren't fair. Okay, maybe the five-year, $70 million offer. But all it takes is one glance around the league at what good, starting wings are making, and even some top-tier backups, to see that the Nuggets are well within the ballpark.
Unless, of course, you are Watson, who wants to get paid for the upside he thinks he has. And he just may have that upside. But the Nuggets' offer of four years for $70 million, within the $16-18 million per year reported by Marc Stein in the newest The Stein Line (subscription required) is a lot closer to what good bench wings or fringe starters are getting.
Sure, Watson jumped into the starting lineup for the Nuggets a lot due to injuries last year, but he's still at the fringe starter level for the Nuggets.
The comparisons are fairly good given Watson's resume
By now, we all know that Watson had a scorching hot month last January while the Nuggets lost most of the starting lineup, including Nikola Jokic, to injuries. If you take that month away and those 15 games, Watson was an average 3-and-D wing. He averaged 11.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and played solid defense.
For comparison, NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award winner Keldon Johnson averaged 13.2 points and 5.4 rebounds for the San Antonio Spurs, and he's getting $18 million this upcoming season. Dillon Brooks started 56 games for the Phoenix Suns last year, averaged 20.2 points and provided solid defense, and is set to make just a little under $20 million.
Another young, defensive guard, who started all 82 games last year for the Portland Trail Blazers, Toumani Camara, and who is a favorable comparison for this example, signed a four-year $82 million extension last year. Camara was an All-NBA Defense Second Team selection in 2024-25, and he averaged 13.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 2025-26.
The Nuggets got another favorable comp this year when they saw the Houston Rockets extend Tari Eason for five years and $81.5 million. Eason has much better defensive acumen than Watson, but with lower offensive upside and a $16 million average annual value contract.
Hopefully, an agreement is reached around $20 million per year
The best course of action for Watson will be to ignore the Christian Braun extension the Nuggets handed out last year as the bar to beat. It was a mistake to give Braun so much, and the Nuggets are now realizing they need to be more careful about handing out these large contracts.
But as you can see, the Nuggets aren't far off the comparable wings' contract extensions. A four-year, $80 million contract seems more than fair for Watson. Add a player option for years three and four to sweeten the deal. If Watson goes out and plays how he thinks he can play, then maybe the Nuggets win another championship along the way, and Watson really gets paid. At least then, he will have shown he truly deserves the elite extension.
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