Peyton Watson might end up going from a contender to a rebuild.
The Milwaukee Bucks are interested in acquiring the 23-year-old forward Watson via sign-and-trade, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported to Substack on Monday. Stein adds that the LA Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks have also previously registered interest in Watson.
A former first-round draft pick, Watson is the most intriguing restricted free agent left on the market. As a 6-foot-8 combo wing, Watson broke out last season for the Nuggets, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in a modest 29.6 minutes per game.
With his 7-foot wingspan, defense is the primary calling card for Watson, who averaged roughly a steal and a block per game last season as well. But now Watson has caught up on the other end of the floor, shooting an impressive 49.1 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from three on the year.
As for the Bucks, they are knocking things down after trading away franchise icon Giannis Antetokounmpo last month. Though Watson probably makes more sense at this point as a role player on a playoff hopeful, Milwaukee may be looking to add him to their new young core of Jaime Jaquez Jr, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament.
Watson was recently revealed to have a significant ask in free agency. While those sizable demands mean that it is effectively a non-starter for the Nuggets to try to re-sign him, Watson may now at least have another off-ramp in the form of the Bucks.
