Ahe latest Peyton Watson injury update signals he could return to the Denver Nuggets soon, as the breakout star this season has missed six weeks with a lingering hamstring strain.
While Watson, having the best season of his young career, hasn’t played since early February, the latest update on the 23-year-old wing might mean he’s set for an injury return soon.
According to Vinny Benedetto of the Denver Gazette, the Nuggets believe Watson will return sometime this week.
In 49 games for Denver this season, Watson is averaging 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and two assists on 49.6% shooting.
Peyton Watson Injury Update
Previously, Watson was one of the few of the Nuggets’ top contributors listed on the injury report, but after Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun returned healthy, he’s remained out. The original injury return timeline was four weeks, but he’s since passed that point.
Last week, it was reported that the forward was hopeful to return sometime soon, and that now appears to be the case, according to Bendetto’s update.
“Sounds like the hope remains the Nuggets get Peyton Watson back sometime this week,” he wrote on X. “Wouldn’t expect it tomorrow or Wednesday.”
He added that Watson was participating in 3-on-3 workouts after the team’s practice, traditionally a good sign that any player is ramping up for a return from injury.
But as he wrote, Tuesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, as well as Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies, feels unlikely for a return, meaning Denver’s Friday night contest against the Toronto Raptors is Watson’s most likely return date.
Before the hamstring strain, Watson was playing the best basketball of his career alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He even earned a Player of the Week award from the NBA, perhaps one of the more unexpected players to ever win the weekly honor.
Despite the latest injury update, Watson is still the only player listed on Denver’s injury report.
Peyton Watson Free Agency Rumors
While he is having the best season of his four-year NBA career, Watson will be a restricted free agent this summer and is likely to garner attention from teams with salary cap space to spend, specifically, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Writing for ESPN, Kevin Pelton reported that the Lakers will be a top team interested in the 23-year-old.
“Restricted free agency is trickier for a team such as the Lakers that can’t afford to wait out the matching period, but Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson — an L.A.-area native who played at UCLA — might be gettable via sign-and-trade because of Denver’s tax situation,” Pelton wrote.
Though Los Angeles has been linked to several wing players in offseason rumors, they expect to be one of several teams lining up to sign him, as the possibility of Denver, already with a loaded salary cap, keeping him this summer is unlikely.
“It must be said, though, that rival executives are increasingly curious about Denver’s likely struggles to retain Peyton Watson this summer, given the fourth-year swingman’s recent breakout play amid all of the Nuggets’ health woes,” Jake Fischer wrote on The Stein Line substack.
“We’ll certainly be tracking this situation over the coming months, since Watson’s restricted free agency is already shaping up to become a major domino of the offseason. Sources say teams that are projected to have cap space — notably such as the Lakers — are already preparing interest.”
While he has been out with the hamstring strain, Watson is tabbed to land a pay raise this summer from a contending hopeful team looking to add wing talent. If his play this season is any sign of what his full potential is, he could be in line for a new contract worth $20 million per year.
For now, still with the Nuggets, he remains out, but the latest Watson injury update signals he could get back on the court sometime in the next few days.
Nuggets Announce Major Peyton Watson Injury Update And Return Timeline