How much urgency should the Nuggets have in re-signing Peyton Watson?
The Denver Nuggets still have a big box to check off their offseason list as they have yet to re-sign restricted free agent Peyton Watson.
Watson is coming off a career season where he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 49% from the field and 41% from three. He was injured on April 1, which caused him to miss Denver's first round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota would defeat Denver in six games.
Reports indicate that Watson could command somewhere between $25 and $30 million per year on a new deal. As of now, he remains unsigned.
Urgency To Get A Deal Done.
Former player and ESPN analyst Tim Legler appeared on the DNVR Nuggets podcast and said that Denver signing Watson is a "must" and that they need to get him back in-house.
It's hard to disagree with Legler given the value Watson has on the team.
When Jokic was sidelined for a month, Watson stepped up on the offensive end and really started to break out. His strong play continued even when Jokic returned to the lineup.
When Jokic was out of the lineup, Watson averaged 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game on 48% shooting from the field and 44% from three on just over five attempts per game.
He's also the best point-of-attack defender the team has, and he was sorely missed in the playoffs when no one could stay in front of Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, or Ayo Dosunmu.
What Is The Hold Up?
Going into the offseason, reports indicated that Denver would likely have to move Christian Braun or Cameron Johnson to make way for Watson's extension; otherwise, they would be into the second apron.
Johnson is in the last year of his $23 million deal, while Braun is beginning a five-year deal with an average salary of $25 million.
Braun and Johnson remain on the team, and there hasn't been a ton of smoke on either of them getting moved, as far as interested teams or Denver making calls.
Watson is also a restricted free agent, meaning Denver can match any potential offer made by another team. All indications say they will match any offer, and thus far no team has made an offer. A team could certainly speed up Denver's process by making an offer and forcing them to make a decision.
