Peyton Watson Sends Farewell Message to Nuggets After Cavaliers Trade

The Denver Nuggets officially ended their Peyton Watson saga by sending him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a multi-team sign-and-trade that netted them a future first-round and second-round pick. Of course, this is not how most fans wanted Watson's Nuggets tenure to end, but it seemed inevitable in a cold restricted free agent market, especially given Denver's financial situation.

Nearly a week after the trade went through, Watson took to Instagram to post a farewell message to his former team, thanking the Nuggets franchise.

"Nuggets Nation and the city of Denver, thank you for having me for the first four years of my career. As a young NBA player, who was a bit naive and hadn't seen much of the real world, you guys took care of me better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for that. Playing this game every night on the national stage is difficult on both the body and the mind, but the love from the fans always makes it so worthwhile," Watson wrote.

Peyton Watson with a message to Nuggets nation on IG: pic.twitter.com/GmwNTlY5y2
— Vinny Benedetto (@VBenedetto) August 25, 2026

Watson also had special thanks for a handful of specific Nuggets players, coaches, and executives. And, of course, the fans.

"A few special thank yous: Calvin Booth for believing in me out of UCLA. The Kroenke family. Coach Malone, Coach Adelman and the rest of the staff. All of my teammates for helping to raise me up. AG for being my big brother. DJ for keeping me in check. Joker and Jamal for all the assists on and off the floor. KCP for throwing my 21st birthday party. MPJ for all the late night workouts and dinners. But again, most of all, thank you to the fans. Playing in front of you has been a dream come true. I'll see you all soon," he finished.

Peyton Watson's Nuggets career

Mar 25, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) reacts after a play in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Ball Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of course, some fans will hold a grudge for how Watson's Denver career ended, but we should appreciate the homegrown talent. The Nuggets first took a chance on Watson with the 30th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which seemed bold after he averaged just 3.3 points per game at UCLA. However, it paid off in due time.

Watson continued to show improvements through his first three years in the NBA, being primarily an athletic defensive specialist but showing some promise offensively. Finally, as a fourth-year wing, he broke out offensively.

Last season, he averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.2 stocks per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from beyond the arc. He especially stepped up while the Nuggets were plagued by injuries, until it finally caught up to him and caused him to miss the end of the season.

It would've been incredible if the Nuggets were able to better bank on Watson's breakout, but they instead let him walk to sign a four-year, $88 million deal with the Cavaliers. In a money-saving move, the Nuggets let him go. While they should want to see him succeed, all they can do is hope he doesn't blossom into an All-Star, which would really make them regret the decision.

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