Peyton Watson may have moved on, but he is not forgetting where he came from and who helped him along the way.
For a while, it appeared as though Peyton Watson's exit from the Denver Nuggets would not be on the best of terms.
The summer-long back-and-forth on what the Nuggets hoped would be a contract extension for one of their budding stars seemed to have damaged the relationship beyond repair.
On a franchise-to-agent level, that may still be the case. However, pro-to-pro, there are no hard feelings towards Watson from his former teammates for the 24-year-old small forward wanting to properly secure his future, and vice versa.
Having penned a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers via a five-team sign-and-trade this offseason, Watson spoke glowingly of his former mentor Nikola Jokic on Thursday.
Career Year
Lon Horwedel-Imagn ImagesWatson said that Jokic played a big part in helping him break out last season.
Watson — a first-round pick out of UCLA in 2022 — stepped up for the Nuggets last term, shouldering a heavier load than Denver might have liked, especially with Aaron Gordon's recurring absences due to injury.
The 6-foot-8 slasher notched career highs in virtually every statistical category except blocks. Watson averaged 14.6 points in 29.6 minutes per game in his Year 4 jump. He shot the ball at a 49.1 percent clip — including 41.1 percent from three-point range.
Watson's scoring numbers climbed significantly from his third year, when he averaged 8.1 points per tilt. He credited a chunk of that improvement to 'The Joker.'
"Playing with him was something that definitely sharpened my IQ and just my overall mentality towards the game," he said.
Watson added that coming out of college as a highly rated prospect, and somebody who is used to having the ball in his hands, it's a bigger adjustment than most think to fall in line and no longer be 'the guy.'
However, playing alongside somebody as selfless as Jokic — a bona fide NBA superstar — puts things into perspective about what needs to be done for the betterment of the team.
"Knowing how to play with a superstar is something that's invaluable in this league with so much talent," Watson said. "Knowing the right places to be at the right times, I think you always need to know how to play off of other players and how to make other players better, even if you don't necessarily have the ball in your hands."
Big Loss For The Former Champs
Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesWatson is somebody that the Nuggets did not want to lose. However, the franchise's hands were tied behind its back by a strict salary cap. And with Watson being a restricted free agent, the stage was set for a new team to blow Denver's qualifying offer out of the water.
The Cavs did just that, with Watson clinching an extra $18 million over the life of his new contract by signing with the Eastern Conference contenders. Denver offered Watson a four-year, $70 million deal.
In return, the Nuggets received an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, a 2032 second-round pick, and emerging big man Julian Reese from the Washington Wizards. It's a decent coup, but not really much consolation for a team in ultra win-now mode — with the consensus best player on the planet in the prime of his career.
Watson started 40 games for the Nuggets last year and judging by the trajectory of his development, he could be set to take another major leap this season.
Unfortunately for Denver, though, if Watson does just that, it will be in Cleveland, where he is expected to slot straight into head coach Kenny Atkinson's starting lineup after having been tenaciously recruited by James Harden in free agency.
