The Denver Nuggets are apparently hoping that Peyton Watson settles for below his market value.
Denver has offered their restricted free agent forward Watson a new contract for four years and $70 million, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported this week. Amick adds that the offer comes with a team option in the fourth year.
Watson, a talented 23-year-old, has probably outplayed that figure. Already a dynamic defender at 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Watson’s offense caught up a bit last season as he posted career-best totals with 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game for the Nuggets.
But at an average annual value of $17.5 million, Watson would be making less than what fellow forwards like Patrick Williams (24), Toumani Camara (26), Aaron Nesmith (26), De’Andre Hunter (28), and Kyle Kuzma (31) are currently getting. With a fourth-year team option, Watson’s contract would not even be fully guaranteed (as presently offered by the Nuggets).
That said, those terms might be all that Denver has to offer as they are already projected to be a second-apron team next season. There was also a report that emerged earlier this week claiming that the Nuggets believed Watson had pulled a weak move on them last season.
There are a couple of interesting outside suitors that have emerged for Watson over the last several weeks. But with the overall NBA market for restricted free agents looking very dry right now, Watson’s best options right now may be a) to accept Denver’s modest offer, b) play out next season on the one-year qualifying offer, or c) continue to play the waiting game with about a month and change to go before the start of training camp.
