Peyton Watson’s future with the Denver Nuggets continues to hang in the balance two weeks into NBA free agency. Denver wants him to stay, but the Los Angeles Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks have emerged as serious suitors for the restricted free agent.
On Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein shared intel on another team that has joined the chase to land the athletic wing.
Bucks Join Clippers, Hawks in Pursuit of Peyton Watson
The story of Denver’s offseason has centered on Watson, who reportedly wants $25 to $30 million annually.
Accommodating the 23-year-old presents a challenge, as the Nuggets are already set to spend a staggering $185.8 million on their starting lineup of Nikola Jokić ($59 million), Jamal Murray ($50.1 million), Aaron Gordon ($32 million), Cameron Johnson ($23.1 million), and Christian Braun ($21.6 million) during the 2026-27 season.
For Denver to retain Watson, it would unquestionably need to breach the $200.4 million luxury tax line. That means unless Johnson or Braun is traded, his days with the team could be over.
However, Watson’s career-high production in points (14.6), rebounds (4.9), assists (2.1), and steals (0.9) this past season has made the Nuggets eager to keep him. The 6-foot-8 emerging two-way force also shot 49.1% overall, including 41.1% from deep, a career-best efficiency from long range.
If Watson has priced himself out of Denver, multiple scenarios could play out. On Monday, Stein relayed his sources’ latest intel on the saga.
”The Nuggets, mind you, still have two restricted free agents of their own to hash out deals with: Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. And some fresh rumbles have been relayed to The Stein Line that the [Milwaukee] 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 wrote.
The Bucks have reportedly emerged as a team trying to “pry away” Peyton Watson from the Nuggets, per @TheSteinLine pic.twitter.com/PPYxTHfaYQ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 14, 2026
Fellow league insider Jake Fischer reported on “The Stein Line” last week that the Nuggets are looking for a hefty return for Watson. Fischer wrote that to poach the 2022 No. 30 pick from the Mile High City, interested teams would need to closely match what the Los Angeles Lakers gave up to acquire Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz.
LA sent two unprotected first-round picks (2031 and 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028 and 2030) to Utah to land its starting center.
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Part of the haul that the Bucks received in their blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade was unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, and a 2030 first-round pick swap. Milwaukee has the necessary draft capital, but Denver’s asking price might be too stiff for a player who has largely been a backup during his four-year career.
Interested teams could still have a viable chance to acquire Watson, though. The Nuggets are seemingly preparing for a possible future without him. On Sunday, they signed EuroLeague Defender of the Year Alpha Diallo to a one-year, $1.4 million deal, fueling speculation about a Watson sign-and-trade.
