Who will the Denver Nuggets look at to replace Peyton Watson?
The Denver Nuggets made their biggest move of the offseason on Wednesday, trading Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Watson was a restricted free agent, but the two sides were far apart on money. Watson reportedly wanted between $25 and $30 million. Denver was reportedly offering between $16 million and $18 million.
In going to the Cavaliers, Watson agreed to a new deal that will pay him $22 million per season for the next four years.
In return for Watson, the Nuggets are receiving a 2031 first-round pick from the Cavaliers and a 2032 second-round pick from the Sacramento Kings.
Max Strus was also involved in the deal as he heads to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Replacing Peyton Watson
According to NBA Insider Chris Haynes, Denver is now eying DeMar DeRozan as a potential replacement for Watson.
DeRozan is a free agent after being waived by the Kings in the offseason. Denver is still operating as a second-apron team and can’t offer him more than the veteran’s minimum. The Miami Heat and Washington Wizards are also interested in DeRozan, and both teams can offer more money.
DeRozan played 77 games for the Kings last season, averaging 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists on 49% shooting and 32% from three. DeRozan is going into his eighth season in the league. He turned 37 in early August.
A Good Replacement?
Denver is short on options with only the minimum to offer and still looking to get under the second apron. DeRozan isn’t a replacement for Watson, but he remains a serviceable player who can fill a need off the bench.
The loss of Watson hurts Denver’s depth, and their bench already took a hit in the offseason when Tim Hardaway Jr signed with the Heat. That’s 27 points off the bench from non-bigs that need to be replaced. Denver could count on Spencer Jones, Julian Strawther, and Tyus Jones to replace some of that scoring, but one of them would need to take a big leap.
Signing DeRozan gives them guaranteed scoring off the bench, as he still has the ability to create his own shot in the midrange and get to the basket.
Perhaps DeRozan's biggest selling point is his health. While Watson missed the end of the season and the playoffs due to a hamstring injury, DeRozan has missed ten or fewer games in each of the last five seasons. He’s never played fewer than 60 games in his 17-year career.
DeRozan isn’t the overall player that Watson is, and he’s not going to help their defense, but for a team that needs a spark off the bench, he can provide just that.
