The Nuggets would sacrifice a lot to sign Watson.
Peyton Watson remains as the big unanswered question of the Denver Nuggets' offseason and with the height of free agency all but over, Watson stands out as one of the most valuable free agents left, which is a problem for the Nuggets.
As time has gone on, it's become increasingly clear that Watson would demand a heavy price in free agency after a breakout season with the Nuggets and it has been widely assumed that the starting price for Watson would be north of $20 million.
But it's become increasingly clear that his expected salary would be even higher than that, with Christian Braun's $25 million per year contract being specifically compared as a figure that Watson would like to match, if not exceed.
A recent report from Brett Siegel has made that idea even more concrete, and that Watson's expected contract will be in the $28 million range, if not higher.
A Big Contract
“Peyton Watson and his camp want something in that $28 million north range and the offers so far have been fluctuating between that $20-24 million per year range… When you’re Peyton Watson, you want more than Christian Braun," Siegel said (via Clutch Points).
That figure is a problem for the Nuggets, who have declared in the past that they would be willing to match any offer that Watson receives in order to retain their breakout star, but at that price point, the Nuggets would find themselves in an increasingly difficult financial position.
That issue is only more exasperated after the Nuggets signed Spencer Jones to a two-year, $12 million contract after matching the offer sheet Jones received from the Oklahoma City Thunder, which already sends the Nuggets well into the second apron.
Ramifications of Signing Watson
By entering the second apron, the Nuggets will eventually incur all of the penalties that come with entering the second apron, and signing Watson to a $28 million deal will only put them further past that threshold.
Even if the Nuggets were able to move Braun in the future in an attempt to shed some salary, they would still be in the second apron after a possible Watson signing, and at this point, being in the second apron puts limitations on their ability to perform a sign-and-trade, something that was proposed as an alternative option to them signing Watson.
Still, the Nuggets have made it clear that they're committed to signing Watson regardless of the expected cost, but that cost will be a heavy one that could leave the Nuggets even more limited in the future and could be a case of the Nuggets putting to much emphasis on short-term gain to the detriment of any future plans.
