Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) after making a basket during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
The Denver Nuggets recently disappointed fans with their trade of young wing Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some had wondered whether the Nuggets could have gotten more than what essentially amounted to a cost-cutting measure for the 2025-26 breakout star.
One team that was rumored to have had interest in Watson prior to the Cavs deal was the Milwaukee Bucks, but now, more information has been revealed showing that the two teams were never that close in their talks.
“Nothing gained much traction. Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez was floated in preliminary talks with Milwaukee, but those conversations were entirely conceptual — the Bucks never made an official sign-and-trade offer, league sources said,” reported Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
Adding Jaquez Jr., who was traded to the Bucks from the Miami Heat earlier this offseason as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo deal, would have at least given the Nuggets one player who can contribute on their roster right away, providing solid outside shooting and respectable defense.
However, the Nuggets instead had to settle for distant future draft picks in return for a player who checked many of the boxes, namely size, athleticism, and defensive prowess, that were missing from Denver's lineup in their embarrassing playoff collapse vs the Minnesota Timberwolves this spring.
Watson missed that series as he nursed a hamstring injury, and while that seemingly would have proven to Denver how much they needed to keep him this summer, the dire financial straits that the Nuggets have backed themselves into in recent years ultimately opened the door for the trade.
The Nuggets are set to kick off their new season on October 22 on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.