The Denver Nuggets’ efforts to retain Peyton Watson may have become more complicated.
Just days after reports linked the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks to the restricted free-agent forward, the Milwaukee Bucks have emerged as another team exploring whether it can pry Watson away from Denver via sign-and-trade.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Tuesday that Milwaukee has joined the growing list of suitors pursuing one of the Nuggets’ most important young players.
“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 wrote.
The report expands what had previously appeared to be a two-team race into a broader market for Watson, whose breakout season has made him one of the NBA’s most coveted restricted free agents.
Bucks Have the Financial Flexibility to Make a Deal
Unlike some of Watson’s other reported suitors, Milwaukee appears well positioned from a salary cap standpoint to explore a sign-and-trade.
Following the re-signings of Gary Trent Jr. and Pete Nance, salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan projects the Bucks to sit approximately $11 million below the luxury tax while maintaining meaningful roster flexibility.
Perhaps more importantly, Milwaukee still possesses a $25.5 million trade exception, giving the front office another mechanism to construct a deal should negotiations with Denver advance.
The Bucks also face a roster crunch with 16 guaranteed contracts, meaning any pursuit of Watson would likely require additional roster maneuvering.
Even so, Milwaukee has considerably more flexibility than many contenders attempting to improve their roster this late in free agency.
Nuggets Haven’t Budged
Whether the interested team is Milwaukee, Atlanta or the Clippers, Denver’s position has remained remarkably consistent.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported earlier this week that the Nuggets are seeking compensation comparable to the package Utah received from the Los Angeles Lakers in the Walker Kessler sign-and-trade—a return that included two first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps.
Neither the Clippers nor the Hawks has shown a willingness to meet that asking price.
Stein’s latest reporting suggests Milwaukee may now test Denver’s resolve.
But the Nuggets have shown little indication they are eager to move Watson.
The 23-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocks while emerging as one of Denver’s premier perimeter defenders. During Nikola Jokić’s late-season absence, Watson elevated his production to 22.5 points over a 17-game stretch, reinforcing his long-term value to the franchise.
Second Apron Still Looms
GettyReigning EuroLeague Best Defender Alpha Diallo agreed to a one-year guaranteed contract with the Denver Nuggets after five standout seasons with AS Monaco.
Denver’s challenge remains balancing Watson’s value against the realities of the collective bargaining agreement.
The Nuggets are projected to sit only a few million dollars below the second apron after recently signing EuroLeague Best Defender Alpha Diallo to a guaranteed contract.
Re-signing Watson at market value would likely push Denver above that threshold unless the front office first sheds salary elsewhere.
Still, the organization’s trade demands suggest it is comfortable accepting that possibility rather than moving Watson for less than full value.
Now, with Milwaukee joining the Clippers and Hawks as reported suitors, Denver faces another test of that stance.
One thing, however, has not changed.
If the Bucks hope to acquire Watson, they will likely have to meet the same steep asking price that has already kept two other interested teams from getting a deal done.
Nuggets Face New Serious Threat in Peyton Watson Pursuit After Insider Report