The Los Angeles Lakers can clear money to spend when free agency officially opens at the end of the month, but the cost of some of their most desirable targets might still price the franchise out.
Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves are locked in, and the Lakers are now considering the returns of LeBron James and Rui Hachimura while also scouring the NBA for opportunities to sign two-way big men and 3-and-D wings to surround what should be an elite offensive backcourt for years to come.
Restricted free agency can potentially provide a pathway to Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets, a two-way wing who won a championship ring as a rookie in 2022-23. However, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported early on Saturday, June 27 that it’s going to take an offer upwards of $30 million annually if the Lakers hope to pry Watson away from Denver.
“The Nuggets have been signaling for months that they plan to match any offer sheet for Watson … to the point that sources say it would take an offer sheet in the $30 million range in order for Denver to balk at re-signing him,” Stein and Fischer wrote. “The Lakers and [Chicago] Bulls are two teams that have been mentioned as potential Watson suitors going back to February’s trade deadline.”
Lakers Must Decide How Much Equals Too Much for Peyton Watson
GettyPeyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets.
The pertinent question is whether Watson is worth that much heading into his age-24 season.
He averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks and 0.9 steals as a versatile defender and regular starter for Denver last season across 54 appearances (40 starts). Watson also shot a career-high 41.1 percent from behind the 3-point line on 3.6 attempts per game.
However, he battled lingering hamstring concerns that cost him a significant portion of the campaign and the entirety of the Nuggets’ postseason.
Recurring soft tissue injuries at 23 years old aren’t an overly significant red flag, but Doncic and Reaves also both missed time near the end of the year and in the playoffs with muscle problems, so the subject is a touchy one in Southern California.
Watson is precisely the player type the Lakers need surrounding a backcourt that will require defensive back up and spot-up shooting. But $30 million is a steep price when Reaves makes more than $46 million annually and Doncic earns $55 million per season.
Lakers Can’t Afford to Sign Peyton Watson, Reunite With LeBron James
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
James’ future in Los Angeles is also up in the air as free agency approaches. Should the team decide to spend that kind of money on Watson, it likely will not have enough remaining to lure James back into the purple and gold for his 24th season.
And even if L.A. is ready to move on from its relationship with James, a $30 million salary for Watson will limit what else the Lakers can do in free agency.
In fairness, the team should be able to pay Watson and still afford to bring back Hachimura as a versatile stretch-4 who also shoots north of 40 percent from behind the 3-point line (41.5 percent on 3.6 attempts nightly across four years in Los Angeles).
Add a potentially affordable rim-protecting, rim-running center like Mitchell Robinson of the New York Knicks into that mix, and the Lakers’ starting five begins to stack up nicely against the best in the West.
But the 2026 playoffs made clear that both health and roster depth are crucial to title aspirations, and each might prove a concern for L.A. if the team pursues Watson.
Lakers in Hunt for Coveted 3-and-D Wing at $30 Million Price Tag: Report