Denver's offseason will revolve around keeping Peyton Watson, and that means moving real pieces off the roster.
The Denver Nuggets led the NBA with a 122.6 offensive rating this past season, but none of that showed up when it mattered most.
Minnesota knocked them out in six games during the first round, and the roster holes hiding behind a 12-game winning streak to close the year were suddenly impossible to ignore.
The front office has a loaded offseason ahead, and if trusted voices around the team are right, it is going to involve more than one trade.
Keeping Watson Is Everything
Harrison Wind of DNVR has been one of the closest reporters to this franchise for years, and his read on what Denver is about to do with their roster this summer is hard to miss.
"I think we're going to see two trades, minimum, that clear space to sign Peyton Watson," Wind said.
He went even further when talking about the stakes. "Keeping Peyton Watson is the #1 goal, and if it doesn't happen it's going to be a monumental failure."
It is tough to argue with that framing. Watson averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game this season while posting nearly a steal and a block on the defensive end, all career highs.
The 23-year-old was starting to look like a real two-way building block before a hamstring injury kept him out of the entire playoff series against Minnesota, and Denver felt the impact right away.
The Nuggets already lost Michael Porter Jr. last summer in the Cameron Johnson trade, and watching another young wing walk in free agency would be a blow this franchise might not recover from while the Jokic window is still open.
Where the Trades Could Come From
The most obvious name is Cameron Johnson, who carries an expiring $23 million salary and has already been linked to trade packages that could move Denver up in this week's draft.
Christian Braun has surfaced in conversations too, though his poison pill provision keeps him locked in place until at least July 1, which makes a Johnson deal the more likely first domino.
The Nuggets could also stretch Jonas Valanciunas and his $10 million salary to create breathing room on the cap sheet.
The unrestricted free agent picture adds another layer.
Tim Hardaway Jr. finished top three in Sixth Man of the Year voting this season but will be tough to bring back at market value, and both Bruce Brown and Tyus Jones could walk as well.
Losing depth off the bench hurts, but it also frees up the flexibility Denver needs to get Watson signed and still build something around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray for another title push.
Wind's prediction of at least two trades feels less like speculation and more like a roadmap at this point.
The Nuggets know what they need to do this summer, and the math to get there requires moving real pieces off the roster before free agency kicks into full gear.
