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The Los Angeles Lakers had a very successful season this year, with a record of 52-29 and in fourth place in the Western Conference. Though, the end of this season marks something big: the true start of the Luka Doncic era.
The Lakers need to start rebuilding their team around Doncic, as the current roster is constructed for their old franchise star, LeBron James. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus predicts one star they could grab that fits Doncic’s playstyle is Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, who’s set to become a restricted free agent this offseason.
“Watson is finishing a breakout season, averaging 14.6 points a game on 41.1 percent shooting from three-point range. He'll turn 24 in September with good size at 6'8"—he's the kind of young player teams with cap room covet. The Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls would all welcome Watson this summer. Since he's restricted, he'd need to sign an offer sheet, which would give Denver roughly a day to decide. The challenge is the sizable obligation to Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Christian Braun, and Cam Johnson. The franchise may need to let backup center Jonas Valančiūnas go to get under the second apron since only $2 million of his $10 million is guaranteed for 2026-27,” Pincus wrote.
This season for the Nuggets, Watson broke out, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes per game. He also is an elite three-point shooter, allowing for easy kickouts for Luka Doncic when he drives into the lane.
As Pincus noted, Watson is a restricted free agent, and the Nuggets can try to match any offer. However, with the Lakers probably losing LeBron James’ massive contract, they definitely have the ability to outbid Denver due to their high payroll.
Hopefully, they can land Watson. He would be a perfect upgrade from Rui Hachimura, and start the domino effect of recreating the Lakers around Doncic.
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