Young forward Peyton Watson remains one of the best free agents on the market right now. The Denver Nuggets likely won’t be able to afford to retain Watson, but it remains surprising that none of the interested teams have signed him yet. A new report claims that the Los Angeles Clippers’ involvement with Watson is the main reason for the wait. The Clippers can’t confidently make moves until they know if the Kawhi Leonard trade will go through.
NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed that the Clippers’ waiting process makes it harder for Watson to accept a deal:
“Peyton Watson’s market may be on hold as the Clippers await a conclusion to the Kawhi Leonard investigation. The Clippers may seek to expand the Kawhi Leonard trade, once approved, in order to acquire Peyton Watson without needing to send salary back to Denver.”
The Clippers have agreed to a deal to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, but the deal is in limbo due to the NBA’s investigation. Kawhi allegedly getting illegal money from a sponsorship under the table could lead to punishment for both sides. Watson must wait for the trade to go through if he’s going to sign a deal with the Clippers for their money.
This News Could Help Other Teams
The Clippers and Cleveland Cavaliers are the two teams most linked to Watson in free agency. Denver reportedly would love to keep Watson after his best season yet, but they have so much money already tied into their current starting lineup.
If Watson’s camp decides to give up on the Clippers over the wait lasting too long, Cleveland and Denver would improve their chances. The Nuggets unfortunately will need Watson to take a smaller deal, but he could sign a short contract to increase his value for next summer.
A new favorite would emerge in the Cavaliers since they’ve been aggressive about wanting another forward for better depth. Losing out on LeBron James quickly saw Cleveland pivoting towards Watson and Jonathan Kuminga. Kawhi’s investigation could land the Cavaliers a new starting small forward for an already stacked starting five.
Clippers Can’t Escape Kawhi Leonard Drama
A bigger story from features the Clippers having a tough predicament as Leonard continues to get investigated. Keaton Wagler is the new franchise player after getting some NBA Draft Lottery luck. Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin are considered franchise pieces, but they need to keep building the roster.
Watson could be a perfect fit if he progresses into a bigger star. However, the Kawhi drama continues to haunt them by potentially limiting the money that they can offer him or any other free agents. The Clippers need to get past this to truly build upon a better future after Leonard.
League officials could also punish the franchise for their involvement in the Kawhi allegations. The big experiment to invest in Leonard and Paul George to chase a title has failed. Unfortunately, they can’t even get past that until they get Kawhi off the roster and add new players to replace him.
Controversial Reason Revealed For Peyton Watson’s Free Agency