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The Denver Nuggets have an interesting offseason ahead of them.
There are several different approaches the franchise could adopt after an unexpected first-round playoff loss to the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer is under the impression that trading Nikola Jokic’s 30-year-old sharpshooting teammate and retaining a 23-year-old breakout star is an option Denver will legitimately consider.
“No shortage of anticipation among those same rival teams that the Nuggets might be forced to search for trades that ship out (Cam) Johnson in order to create the necessary payroll wiggle room to retain Watson,” Fischer wrote Wednesday.
Keeping Watson in Denver should be among the Nuggets’ top priorities this summer. The UCLA product appears to be putting it all together in the big leagues after a slow start to his NBA career.
As a highly effective three-and-D wing who’s more than ever, Watson contributed 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game this season, connecting on 49.1% of his field goals and 41.1% of his three-point jumpers.
Needless to say, Watson’s versatility and length were sorely missed against the Timberwolves in playoff round No. 1 (he was inactive all series due to a hamstring injury). While Johnson enjoyed another elite long-range shooting season (43.0% three-point shooting percentage), the Nuggets would be better off betting on Watson’s upside and attempting to find a trade suitor for Johnson that makes the most sense.
The UNC product is shooting 39.6% from long range for his career and should garner serious interest on the offseason trade market. It’ll be up to the Nuggets to decide it’s worth placing him there following their premature playoff exit.
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