Clippers' Chances of Landing Peyton Watson Grow With Each Passing Day

The Los Angeles Clippers are not done adding to their roster. They are proceeding as if the Kawhi Leonard trade will go through and are trying to build the best team in the first year of the post-Kawhi era. Given that they don't control their own 2027 pick, the Clippers have all the incentive in the world to try to win as many games as possible next season.

So, they are continuing to look for upgrades. Even though most free agents have found their new teams, there are a few options remaining on the market. At the top of the list for the Clippers is Peyton Watson.

Peyton Watson Stalemate Gives the Clippers a Better Chance of Acquiring Him

The restricted free agent of the Denver Nuggets, Watson is one of the best available players out there. As is often the case with restricted free agents, Watson was squeezed out of the market. No team was willing to tie up their cap space on an offer sheet only to be matched later. The cap space dried up quickly, leaving restricted free agents like Watson without much of a market.

The problem is, the Nuggets are facing a huge financial cliff. They are currently the only team in the second apron. As a historically cheap team unwilling to pay too much in luxury tax, the Nuggets have to shed a ton of salary before they can re-sign Watson. They don't want to go further into the tax, so they are only giving Watson a five-year, $70 million deal, per the latest reports.

This increases the likelihood of the Clippers swooping in and landing the 23-year-old forward. In his latest livestream for Bleacher Report, NBA insider Jake Fischer said that the Clippers, along with the Bucks, are continuing their pursuit of Watson. He added that a resolution may not come until September, as Watson and his agent, Rich Paul, are "willing to remain patient."

This suggests that there is still a chasm between the Nuggets and Watson in negotiations. Understandably, Watson likely feels like he deserves a lot more than the $14 million per year deal the Nuggets are giving him.

The Clippers don't have the cap space to give an offer sheet to Watson outright. However, they have a $17 million trade exception that they can use in a sign-and-trade.

If they are willing to offer Watson $17 million for next season in a multi-year deal, they could execute a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets without having to match salaries. They could give up some draft capital to make it worth Denver's while. If the Nuggets are interested in one of Kris Dunn or Derrick Jones Jr., they could be included in the deal as well.

Given that Watson is from LA and the Clippers are offering him more money, there should be some interest from his camp. The longer the stalemate between him and the Nuggets continues, the greater the chances of him forcing his way out of Denver.

Add us as a preferred source on Google