In a world where the Boston Celtics miss out on Giannis Antetokounmpo, they could end up continuing to run with the star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown once again in 2026-2027 with a surprise addition from the Denver Nuggets.
The Celtics can’t simply run it back. After a strong regular season, the Celtics dropped the ball in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
If Boston misses out on Antetokounmpo, they could go look for a smaller-scale trade to acquire a promising young veteran in Peyton Watson from the Denver Nuggets.
Denver Nuggets Trade Idea Sends Peyton Watson To Boston Celtics
With Watson being a restricted free agent for the Nuggets in 2026, this mock move from Mile High Sports would be a sign-and-trade for Denver’s young guard.
In the hypothetical deal, the Celtics would land Watson with a freshly signed four-year, $103 million contract.
In return, the Nuggets would pick up Sam Hauser and a 2032 second-round pick.
“For the Nuggets, they get back compensation for letting Watson walk,” Ryan Blackburn wrote.
“It’s not ideal to let him walk, but if Denver decides they don’t want to pay $25 million per year for Watson, they get back something in the form of Sam Hauser, who could start or come off the bench for Denver depending on what they did with the rest of their roster.”
Peyton Watson’s Nuggets Run
The 23-year-old former first-round pick out of UCLA just had the best season of his career, despite injuries holding him out.
In 54 games, Watson averaged 14.6 points, while shooting 49.1% from the field and hitting on 41.1% from three.
Due to a setback, Watson missed the entire 2026 playoff run for Denver. Throughout his four-year career, the veteran guard has averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.
The Nuggets are expected to prioritize re-signing Watson. However, the market demand could cause his contract to get pricey. As a restricted free agent, any deal Watson signs gives the Nuggets a chance to match.
Will the injuries and the Christian Braun signing cause Denver to grow hesitant? It’s possible.
Sam Hauser’s NBA Run
In 2021, Sam Hauser went undrafted out of Virginia.
Since his sophomore season in 2022-2023, Hauser has been a key reserve for the Celtics. In 2025-2026, Hauser appeared in 78 games, and started a career-high 49 games with 24.8 minutes of action.
With increased playing time, Hauser had a career-best run. He averaged 9.2 points, while shooting 41.9% from the field and hitting on 39.3% from three.
Throughout his career, Hauser averaged 7.8 points and 3.8 rebounds, while knocking down 41.2% of his shots from deep.