We haven’t even reached the NBA trade deadline, but it’s never too early to start speculating about the offseason, and that’s exactly what’s happening with Peyton Watson. The 23-year-old has exploded this year, breaking out to the point where he looks like he could be a legitimate two-way star in the league.
His combination of size, skill, and athleticism is a rarity and highly coveted in the league, and suitors will likely be lining up to try to sign him this summer. That’s obviously horrible news for the Nuggets, who chose not to extend him, and to take their chances in restricted free agency. But with the leap he’s taken this year, and Denver’s impending financial situation, extending P-Wat now seems like a long shot at best.
The Nuggets will have some tough decisions to make after the season, and unless, in what would be a shocking twist, ownership decides to pony up and let the team spend into the second apron, bringing Watson back is going to be all but impossible without trading away a major salary like Christian Braun or Cam Johnson.
That means, in all likelihood, Watson will be available to the highest bidder this offseason, and rampant speculation has already picked up surrounding Watson and the Lakers.
Lakers may push to bring Watson home to LA
The Lakers have been lining up their books to have cap space this summer, and they’ll be able to go chase free agents to put around Luka Doncic. Watson seems like the perfect fit, a tall, athletic wing who can run the offense or play off the ball, plus lock down elite perimeter players on defense.
Investing in a young player like that would be a dream for the youth-starved Lakers, and the fit makes sense outside of basketball, too. Watson is a Los Angeles kid through and through; he was born in Beverly Hills, went to high school in Long Beach, and played his one year of college hoops at UCLA.
Dots have been connected, and the move would make sense on and off the court for everyone involved. It has even been hypothesized in the national media, as it was suggested by Tim McMahon of ESPN on a recent episode of the Hoops Collective Podcast.
But the one party this doesn’t make sense for is the Nuggets. We’ll see how the rest of this season plays out, but losing Watson for nothing in free agency and seeing him go to the Lakers to team up with Luka would be a nightmare scenario for a player the team has drafted and developed from a raw project.