Nuggets Execs Explain Why They Were Willing to Trade Peyton Watson

Among the biggest decisions the Denver Nuggets made throughout their most recent offseason, none might've been bigger than their move to ship out their budding wing Peyton Watson in a sign-and-trade deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

After a long, dragged-out restricted free agency process where the two sides couldn't agree on Watson's value, the Nuggets officially put an end to their negotiations a little under a month ago by sending him to the Cavaliers, acquiring a 2031 first-round pick for his services, and allowing him to sign a four-year, $88 million deal to make Cleveland his new home.

What Nuggets' Executives Had to Say About the Watson Trade

It's been a move from the Nuggets' front office that's seen a handful of different opinions and criticisms for how Denver opted to approach the situation entirely.

Some viewed Watson as an integral piece of Denver's future, didn't feel as if the Nuggets got a worthwhile return from the Cavaliers, simply felt as if the front office should've ponied up for his second contract, while shedding salary elsewhere on the roster, or all of the above.

However, when asking the duo of Nuggets top front office execs, Ben Tenzer and Jon Wallace, during Denver's media day on Monday, the general consensus remained that if the front office could net their desired package in a deal for Watson, it was a trade they were comfortable making.

"Peyton did a lot of great things here," Tenzer said of the Watson trade. "Great person, great person. It was amazing to watch his growth, especially last season when he took a big jump. I think for us, ultimately, we were comfortable with trading him if the price got to the point where we were excited about the return."

"And although we didn't get a player back, we got some very valuable draft capital. And we didn't have to do it, but our internal thoughts were: as long as we got what we were asking for, we were comfortable doing it."

Mar 22, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) reacts in the first quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On top of Tenzer's thoughts, Wallace also added in that, while Watson certainly showcased some appealing potential, Denver feels confident about the pieces they have in place within their bench unit who can step up now that he's out of the picture.

"[Peyton Watson] made a huge jump. He was a good defender. He was a good role player in a lot of situations for us, and you can't ignore the January he had," Wallace added. "So you kind of saw what the upside is."

"But we feel by committee, the guys that can step up in that next man type of mentality, we'll be able to supply and give the same effort that he left us with."

Why did the Nuggets trade Peyton Watson?

Nuggets EVP Basketball Ops Ben Tenzer: "We were comfortable with trading him if the price got to the point where we were excited about the return. And although we didn't get a player back, we got some very valuable draft capital. And we… pic.twitter.com/rgO4KfOjYs
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) September 28, 2026

Bottom Line

On one hand, the move to pivot from Watson allows the Nuggets a bit more flexibility when looking into the future. Their barren stash of draft capital adds an unprotected first-round pick, and they're free of paying $22 million AAV on the books for slightly more financial optionality.

At the same time, the Nuggets are certainly going to have moments throughout this season where they miss the presence of Watson's athleticism, two-way skillset, and scoring ability, and will be forced to rely on the other remaining pieces to pick up the slack that he now leaves behind.

As to whether or not Denver has the right roster to make that happen remains to be seen. However, if the Nuggets do really tend to struggle without Watson in their lineup this season, it'll only present this front office with more questions on why they decided to give up on their budding two-way wing in the first place.

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