Nuggets forward Peyton Watson (8) controls the ball
Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets bid farewell to Peyton Watson on Wednesday night, sending him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team, sign-and-trade agreement involving the Los Angeles Clippers. For their troubles, the Nuggets received the Cavs' 2031 first-round pick along with a 2032 second-rounder from the Sacramento Kings.
This seems like a light return for Watson, someone who appeared to be on the verge of blossoming into a full-blown star. There was a stretch prior to his injuries last season where he was filling up the scoring column all while being a beast on defense. But now, the Nuggets are gearing up for life without the 23-year-old forward, as keeping him would have meant forking over nearly half a billion dollars.
According to ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, had the Nuggets re-signed Watson for around $22 million per season, their luxury tax bill would have jumped from $68 million to $220 million due to repeater penalties. They would have had to dive into the second apron as well, further restricting him in future moves.
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The second apron landscape in today's NBA has made roster building that much more difficult. Rising contracts for superstars leave almost no room for big contracts for role players, making it all the more important for teams to replenish their talent base with cheap contracts. In the end, the Nuggets' core became far too expensive to keep together.
It's not about to get better for Denver anytime soon. Nikola Jokic is up for a supermax extension worth $359 million over five seasons, and the Nuggets will want to keep their franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future. This further cuts into their cap space, although at the very least, Cam Johnson's contract will be expiring at the end of next season — creating some space.
This may have weakened the Nuggets' roster significantly, but they had no choice. Not too many teams have ponied up that kind of money to keep a roster together, and the Nuggets, a team that doesn't play in the biggest markets in the NBA, were not about to break the bank.