The waaaaaiiiting, is the hardest part. Tom Petty, great song. And it's probably going to be the theme of the summer as the standoff between the Denver Nuggets and restricted free agent Peyton Watson forges into month number two with no agreement currently in sight. And if last year's restricted free agents are any precedent, the waaaaaiiiting is going to continue on until at least September before we get a resolution. Or perhaps, even longer.
Which is probably just fine from the Nuggets' point of view. Most of the rest of the league is done with their roster construction and free agent signings, and they're getting settled into the dog days of summer before training camps open up at the end of September. Which allows the Nuggets to squeeze Watson even further toward a compromise between his asking price and the Nuggets' qualifying offer of $6.5 million to return next season.
The four big RFA's of 2025 didn't sign until after September begins
2025 had four big-name restricted free agents: Cam Thomas, Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes. Thomas was the first to sign on September 4th to return to the Brooklyn Nets. Then it was Giddey with the Chicago Bulls on September 9th. Jonathan Kuminga came next with the Golden State Warriors on September 30th. And lastly, it was Grimes with the Philadelphia 76ers on October 1st.
Two of them, Grimes and Thomas, took the qualifying offer, the same route that Watson is rumored to be threatening with the Nuggets. It worked out great for Grimes in the end, as he was rewarded with a four-year $60 million contract by the Los Angeles Lakers as an unrestricted free agent this year after rejecting the four-year $40 million offer from the 76ers last year.
Giddey and the Bulls, and Kuminga and the Warriors, came together to sign multi-year deals with a contract value somewhere between what both sides wanted. That's the hope for the good of the future for the Nuggets, especially considering they aren't getting the offers they want in return for a sign-and-trade for the fourth-year 3-and-D wing.
The Nuggets are better off signing Watson, figuring out the rest later
The Nuggets need to just meet in the middle with Watson (within reason, of course) and get the extension done. Watson fits the Nuggets exceptionally well, and losing his defense alone would be a detriment to the roster. Yes, the luxury tax bill would become massive, but that's the price the ownership group is going to have to pay to keep the core together for so long. They can afford it, at least for one year.
But if history and last year's precedent are any indication, Nuggets fans are going to be waaaaiiiting for a bit to see this saga reach a resolution.
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