The one silver lining of all the injury issues that the Denver Nuggets have had to deal with this season is the opportunity afforded to other players to step up and make a name for themselves. Peyton Watson has done just that.
The fourth-year forward is averaging career-highs across the board for Denver this season: 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal in 29.4 minutes per performance.
Nuggets turning down trade interest in Peyton Watson
Thanks to his productive play, Watson is garnering substantial trade interest around the league, but the Nuggets don’t seem interested in moving him.
On the contrary, they view him as a player they would like to keep in Denver for the long-term, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Watson will be an unrestricted free agent over the offseason, and the Nuggets are hoping to re-sign him.
From Scotto:
“Watson has drawn significant interest on the trade market, but the Nuggets have rebuffed trade calls on the 23-year-old swingman and want to re-sign him in restricted free agency this summer, league sources told HoopsHype.”
So, it certainly doesn't sound like Watson will be moved prior to the trade deadline on Feb. 5.
Interested teams could have an opportunity to sign him to an offer sheet over the offseason, but since he'll be a restricted free agent, the Nuggets will get an opportunity to match any outside offers.
With three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic still in midst of his prime, it's imperative for the Nuggets to remain competitive, and to do that they need to identify and develop talent to surround the star center, and that's exactly what they've done with Watson.
More NBA news:
- Ja Morant addresses ongoing trade speculation with just three words
- LeBron James quotes Jay-Z to tease eventual retirement
- Dillon Brooks blasts Grizzlies for how he was treated by team