The Denver Nuggets and Peyton Watson are in the middle of a standoff on who will blink first and cave in on the contract price they're holding out for. As the days are turning to weeks, the vultures are circling the wagons and looking to swoop in to steal Watson away from the Nuggets if they can't reach an agreement. The Milwaukee Bucks have just what the Nuggets want if they do part with Watson, but it remains to be seen if anything transpires from here.
Marc Stein of The Stein Line (subscription required) says that the Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Los Angeles Clippers are now all circling the wagons.
"And some fresh rumbles have been relayed to The Stein Line that the Bucks are joining the Clippers and Hawks on the list of teams trying to pry Watson away from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade," Stein said.
Great, another team to tempt Watson to leave Denver. The Nuggets have the final say regarding their decision with Watson, a restricted free agent. But it must be starting to add pressure to the Nuggets to up their offers to Watson. The Nuggets and Watson are reportedly far apart in their negotiations. Watson wants something in the neighborhood of Christian Braun's $25 million average annual value, and the Nuggets are playing hardball.
The Bucks have the ammo to pry Watson from the Nuggets
The Nuggets are reportedly looking for a "Walker Kessler" haul that the Los Angeles Lakers sent to the Utah Jazz in order for the Nuggets to let go of Watson via sign-and-trade. The Nuggets are seeking draft capital, and the Lakers sent two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps to the Jazz for Kessler.
The reason the Nuggets need draft capital back is that taking on any player who is under contract via the sign-and-trade would hard-cap the Nuggets at the second apron, a number they are already dangerously close to. The Nuggets currently have about $10-11 million left in cap space before that number hits.
But the Bucks have the draft picks, and if the Nuggets decide the second apron is their cap, they could get Kevin Porter Jr. back in the deal to plug the hole that's left at backup point guard. But he comes with a $5.39 million salary, leaving the Nuggets with barely enough to wiggle the rest of the roster under the hard cap.
But it's possible this route could pan out. The Bucks are looking to rebuild after the departure of Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Watson would give them a good, young wing to help build around. Porter's a solid backup, and the Nuggets could use him.
This whole drama is literally going to come down to the Nuggets' willingness to pay exorbitant taxes at the end of the season, or start rebuilding a bit for the future.
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