Watson should be a priority for Denver.
The Denver Nuggets went 54-28 this season and finished as the third seed in the Western Conference, but a first-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves left the franchise facing serious questions this offseason.
One of the biggest involves Peyton Watson, who is entering restricted free agency after a breakout year and could command $20 million to $30 million annually on his next deal.
Simmons Did Not Hold Back
Bill Simmons had no patience for Denver's hesitation on his podcast this past weekend.
"Why do they have to trade anybody to sign Peyton Watson? You have Jokic in your team, pay everyone, F*** off," Simmons said. "Kroenke has a gazillion dollars, just keep everybody AND pay Peyton Watson. Your owner is super rich what are we doing?"
The frustration is easy to understand.
The 23-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 54 games this season while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three, all career highs.
He won Western Conference Player of the Week in January and looked like a real two-way wing before a hamstring injury ended his season and kept him out of the entire playoff series against Minnesota.
The Money Is There
Denver's concern is the luxury tax.
Re-signing Watson at his expected price without making any trades would push the tax bill past $100 million and put the team above the second apron.
That is a real consideration, but Kroenke Sports & Entertainment owns a portfolio valued at more than $25 billion, making them the wealthiest ownership group in professional sports.
Paying the tax is a choice for this franchise.
Josh Kroenke said during exit interviews that "everything is gonna be on the table outside of trading Nikola," which did not calm anyone down.
The Lakers, Bulls and Nets have all been linked as teams with the cap space to pursue Watson, and ESPN has reported the Nuggets are exploring trades involving Christian Braun or Cameron Johnson to create room.
Trading a productive player to dodge a tax bill while sitting on one of the most valuable sports empires in the world is a hard sell.
The Jokic Window
Nikola Jokic averaged 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 10.7 assists this season and became the first player in NBA history to lead the league in both rebounds and assists per game in the same year.
He is expected to sign a four-year, $278 million extension this summer, which locks the franchise into his timeline for the foreseeable future.
That is what makes the Watson situation so frustrating.
Jokic is a three-time MVP still playing at a historic level, and the Nuggets already have Bird Rights to re-sign Watson without needing cap space.
Letting a 23-year-old wing who shot 41 percent from three walk because ownership does not want to pay the tax is tough to justify when the best player on the roster is still in his prime.
