The Milwaukee Bucks could benefit from the uncertainty surrounding Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson remains one of the key restricted free agents still waiting for his situation to be resolved.
The Clippers have been mentioned as one of the teams interested in a possible sign-and-trade, but their offseason remains tied to the NBA's ongoing investigation into Leonard and the Clippers.
According to ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel on the Clutch Scoops podcast, that delay could open the door for Milwaukee.
"I think that this Kawhi Leonard thing is going to hold up the Peyton Watson stuff and it is going to allow a team like the Bucks to wind up getting a deal done," Siegel said.
The NBA insider explained that Milwaukee has several factors working in its favor.
"It just makes sense from that perspective where they have the trade exception to do any amount of money that Peyton Watson wants," Siegel said. "They can be a team that can help facilitate other trades because they have the contracts, whether it's AJ Green, Gary Trent Jr., Kyle Kuzma; they have contracts to be able to send to another team."
Siegel also noted that Milwaukee could offer Watson a clearer role than some other teams.
"And then also it's just a good spot for Peyton Watson to go to if he does want to be a starter," Siegel added.
Bucks viewed as stronger suitor than Clippers
Earlier in the podcast, Siegel said the Bucks appear to be at the forefront of Watson's market.
"The one team that I still think is at the forefront of everything, I think they're the number one suitor necessarily for Peyton Watson is the Milwaukee Bucks," Siegel said.
He pointed to Milwaukee's available minutes, its relationship with Clutch Sports, and head coach Taylor Jenkins' system as reasons why Watson could fit with the Bucks.
"I think that they have everything that's needed to make this work, where they have minutes that they can allocate to him immediately in the starting lineup," Siegel said.
The Bucks also have a large trade exception from the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to the Miami Heat, which could help them absorb Watson's contract in a sign-and-trade.
"They have a big trade exception from when they got rid of Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat; I believe it's around $25, $24 million," Siegel said.
Clippers still frozen by Kawhi situation
The Clippers' issue is that they cannot move freely until the Leonard investigation is resolved.
Siegel said the process has created a major holdup because teams are waiting to see whether the investigation finds wrongdoing and what kind of punishment could follow.
"There's going to be no talk of punishment, there's going to be no talk of this trade happening, and so that's why there's this giant holdup," Siegel said.
The possible outcomes could include fines, suspension, or even Leonard's contract being voided, though Siegel said he does not expect the contract-voiding scenario to happen.
"The options are: could he get his contract voided, could he get suspended, will it be just fines?" Siegel said.
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That uncertainty also affects the Raptors, who are expected to acquire Leonard from the Clippers, as well as the Nuggets, Watson, and Bennedict Mathurin.
For Watson, the situation could be especially important. If the LA Clippers remain stuck waiting on Leonard, Milwaukee may have enough time and flexibility to finalize a deal for the Nuggets forward.
"I think the Bucks are at the forefront of these conversations more than the Clippers right now because of this holdup with the investigation," Siegel said.