It's been a little less than a week since the Denver Nuggets traded promising young forward Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a future first and future second-round draft pick. Watson finally sent out his goodbye note that was shared via an Instagram post (how 2026), and he made sure to thank everyone who made his time in the Mile High City special. Especially the fans.
Peyton Watson with a message to Nuggets nation on IG: pic.twitter.com/GmwNTlY5y2
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) August 25, 2026
"Thank you for having me for the first four years of my career. As a young NBA player, who was a bit naive and hadn't seen much of the real world, you guys took care of me better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for that. Playing this game every night on the national stage is difficult on both the body and the mind, but the love from the fans always makes it so worthwhile. I will miss you all at Ball Arena," said Watson.
Watson continued to thank the organization and certain former players who were a part of big moments for Watson, like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who threw Watson his 21st birthday party. It's a lovely parting letter for the new Cavs forward, and he'll certainly be missed for his upside and defense. But not by everybody.
Some fans are happy for Watson. Others, not so much...
Some fans are happy to see Watson got himself a raise and a new place to play, and even Nikola Jokic gave Watson his flowers on the deal last week after one of the FIBA World Cup qualifying tune-ups for Serbia. Other fans are, well, "happy" to see Watson leave.
Many are upset about the fact that Watson may have been good to go for the Nuggets in the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves but chose to sit out for the good of his upcoming contract. The air of doubt was laid bare by his agent, Rich Paul, directly on Paul's podcast, where he openly said that he had to help "protect" Watson from himself and not play in the playoffs. That's got some believing Watson quit on the team.
Only Watson, Paul, and maybe a handful of others know if that is actually true. But I don't think anyone on the Nuggets would be wishing him well if they believed that to be true. So we'll have to err on the side of Joker in this battle.
Watson leaves behind a legacy of progress and development
The Nuggets drafted Watson with the 30th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft as a huge project out of UCLA. Watson started zero games and only averaged 3.3 points in his one-and-done college stop. But once the Nuggets got him rolling, he hasn't stopped. Watson averaged 3.3 points his rookie season, 6.7 in year two, 8.1 in year three, and 14.6 in his final season in Denver.
Unfortunately for the Nuggets and Nuggets fans, they'll have to watch Watson's further development from afar. It would be sweet if the Nuggets could match up against the Cavs in the NBA Finals to ultimately settle the score, but that dream might be closer for the Cavs than the Nuggets after this offseason.
Good luck in Cleveland, P-Wat!
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