The Denver Nuggets' decision to move on from Peyton Watson may have been avoidable had the organization reached an extension with him one year earlier.
According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Watson was seeking approximately $14 million per season when he became extension-eligible last fall, while Denver was unwilling to go beyond roughly $10 million annually.
"If they had to do it all over again, if they had to give Peyton Watson his $14 million and waited on Christian Braun, they probably would've been able to keep them both," MacMahon said on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective.
Instead, the Nuggets committed to Christian Braun with a five-year, $125 million extension last year.
Peyton Watson
Peyton Watson
Watson's price climbed after career season
Watson subsequently produced the best season of his NBA career, significantly increasing his value entering restricted free agency.
Brian Windhorst said Denver offered approximately four years and $70 million this summer, but Watson eventually secured a four-year, $88 million contract from the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of Thursday's five-team sign-and-trade.
That $22 million annual salary ultimately proved too expensive for Denver.
According to Windhorst, the Nuggets reached a financial crossroads and elected to prioritize Braun, Cameron Johnson and Spencer Jones rather than meet Watson's price.
The situation leaves Denver with a costly "what if," considering Watson potentially could have been retained for around $14 million annually only a year earlier.
Peyton Watson
Peyton Watson
Questions reportedly emerged during playoffs
Contract negotiations may not have been the only source of tension between Watson and the organization.
MacMahon reported that some people within the Nuggets questioned whether Watson could have returned from his hamstring injury during Denver's first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
There was reportedly some suspicion that Watson may have been putting "business above the team," although MacMahon stressed that he had not seen Watson's medical information and could not determine whether those concerns were justified.
Watson ultimately leaves Denver after developing into one of the team's most valuable young players.
MacMahon was also critical of the Nuggets' broader offseason following the move.
"This is a bad, bad summer for the Denver Nuggets, man," he said. "They're really expensive, got worse."