Peyton Watson could come at a heavy price.
The Denver Nuggets have made it clear that Peyton Watson will be their top target in free agency and that the most of their emphasis will be on retaining their breakout star.
But, the same reason that the Nuggets are so interested in keeping Watson, that being his breakout season in 2025-26, will also be the same reason it will be difficult to keep him in Colorado.
Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists this past season, all career-highs, as he answered the call and stepped up to be a starter when the Nuggets found so many of their key players injured.
His breakout came at the perfect time for him personally considering he's now a restricted free agent and it's given him some serious bargaining power, or at least set the market for what he should deserve.
A Steep Price
That does put the Nuggets in a precarious position and according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the market for Watson could get expensive for Denver, even if they're willing to commit to Watson no matter the cost.
"[The Nuggets] are sending out the signals they are going to match any offer sheet that would come for Peyton Watson ... in the roughly $30-35 million ballpark that people are projecting him at ...Those rookie-scale deals, $25 million AAV, $20 million AAV, that went for Braun, Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, those are gonna be the floors for guys like Cason Wallace ... and the same thing with Peyton Watson as well," Fischer said (via Bleacher Report).
A $30-35 million annual range for Watson is certainly a steep cost for the Nuggets and if that's truly where his value is at, the team will have to do some serious soul searching to see if they can justify that cost.
Juggling Contracts
They're already saddled with a deeply expensive contract with Christian Braun that is looking more and more like it won't pan out relative to how much it will cost them, and taking on another expensive contract based on what has ultimately been one respectable season for Watson is a huge gamble.
That being said, it could be a gamble worth taking considering that the Nuggets are relatively strapped for depth and considering that keeping Watson has been one of the most vocal promises that ownership has made for the offseason indicates that even with Watson's price tag, they may be willing to make that commitment.
It still remains to be seen what the offseason will hold, but it looks more and more like committing to Watson will come with a huge price tag.
