At the end of the day, Christian Braun is happy that Peyton Watson got paid and will enjoy new beginnings outside the Denver Nuggets.
Speaking to Sean Keeler of The Denver Post, Braun offered an insightful reaction regarding his former teammate's free-agent departure to join the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Very excited for Peyton and everything he accomplished,” Braun said.
“I mean, every single day that I’ve been in the NBA, I’ve been with Peyton. Every single day we’ve competed, we’ve competed together. We’ve done everything together. We’ve practiced every day together. We’ve done all the rookie stuff together. So Peyton’s my guy. Me and his guys, his family, his friends have gotten close (with me) over the last four years, obviously. And he’s a guy that obviously supported me at every step. So I’ll do the same for him, always.”
Peyton Watson set for new Cavaliers chapter after four Nuggets seasons
Peyton Watson has officially left the Denver Nuggets via a multi-team trade that landed him with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As such, the Cavs' acquisition of Watson is a sign-and-trade in form, in which the restricted free agent wing signed a four-year, $88 million contract.
Watson and Christian Braun joined the NBA together and were two of the Nuggets' prized rookies in 2022. Both young players were eventually involved in the franchise's first NBA title a year later.
After growing across four seasons in Denver, Watson is poised to be a key part of the Cavaliers' core along with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
He saw a breakout 2025-26 season with 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, but a midseason hamstring injury ultimately held back his rise.