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Peyton Watson and the Los Angeles Lakers have been linked together in trade rumors for the past few months.
After a solid start to his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets, Watson exhibited star potential in Year 4. The surging three-and-D wing contributed 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game, shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from three.
Unfortunately, Watson, who was the beneficiary of several early-season injuries, suffered a nagging setback of his own that prevented him from finishing the season (hamstring injury). Still, the UCLA product is undoubtedly a player who earned the Lakers’ respect.
Based on a new report from The Athletic’s Sam Amick, there’s a sign-and-trade path that could help the Lakers land the 23-year-old this summer in game-changing fashion.
“The Denver Nuggets intend to match any offers for restricted free agent Peyton Watson when the NBA’s moratorium lifts on Monday, said league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations,” Amick wrote Sunday.
“Yet as the Nuggets and Watson’s agent, Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group, have continued to be apart in negotiations for a new contract, sources say Denver is also very open to the prospect of a sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old forward.”
“As we’ve seen several times this offseason, the rules relating to restricted free agency have created a challenging landscape for players in that position.”
Given that Amick noted that the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn Nets are the only two teams that ‘have the salary-cap space to submit the offer sheet he (Watson) wants’, a sign-and-trade would be the only logical way for the Lakers to pry Watson from Denver.
Would it be a simple task? Quite the opposite, as Los Angeles’ draft capital issue (they have no tradable first-round picks for the next seven years) could create a noticeable issue in such a scenario.
The 17-time NBA champions would likely have to pull a Walker Kessler-like move and overpay for Watson to ensure he doesn’t take his talents elsewhere.
That said, the fact that there’s a chance (granted, slim) that the Lakers could not only enter the Watson sweepstakes but finish first is encouraging on its own.
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