Rich Paul Says Exactly What Nuggets Fans Feared About Peyton Watson

The Denver Nuggets suffered a crushing first-round exit in the 2026 playoffs, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games. Facing a banged-up Timberwolves team, there were no excuses for the Nuggets' horrible performance, but they were not fully healthy either. Peyton Watson missed the entire playoff series with a hamstring injury, but could he have returned?

During the playoffs, there was a sense around the Nuggets organization that Watson could return to the court, but he held out because of his pending free agency. Granted, playing through a hamstring injury can be a bad idea, but in the playoffs, players are usually willing to do whatever they can to help the team.

Now, after Watson earned a four-year, $88 million deal from the Cleveland Cavaliers, his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, suggested that they made the business decision to keep Watson out of the playoffs as he recovered from his hamstring strain.

"He did not finish the season. He didn't play in the playoffs. He was dealing with a hamstring injury, a soft tissue injury. And when you're dealing with those injuries, you have to be very careful in your return. Guys want to play. You have to protect them from themselves in that moment because you're up for a contract and 'it's the playoffs and I've had a pretty good year so I need to play.' It's important to protect that," Rich Paul said on the Game Over podcast.

Here’s Rich Paul basically admitting he advised Peyton Watson to not return in the playoffs because he was set to sign a big offer. An insight into the business side of basketball. pic.twitter.com/d8DYx33h6y
— Damien Peters (@DamienPetersNBA) August 22, 2026

Paul practically confirms that Watson wanted to play, but they had to sit him out so that he did not risk further injury that would impact his free agency. This is exactly what Nuggets fans feared was happening during the playoffs.

Staining his Nuggets legacy

Sure, we can try to understand the decision by Watson and Rich Paul. From a business perspective, which is Paul's job to focus on, it did not make much sense for Watson to play through a serious injury in the playoffs.

Watson already missed 25 games in the regular season with the same hamstring injury, so risking any further damage by trying to play through it in the playoffs, where the game is intensified, could have certainly turned sour.

Mar 27, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) after making a basket during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Ball Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the other hand, Watson could've used the playoffs to further show how valuable he can be as a free agent. If Watson returned to help the Nuggets beat the Timberwolves in the first round and truly showed he can perform on the biggest stage, he could've potentially gotten the $25 million AAV contract he was longing for.

Of course, that is more of a hypothetical, but since he did not play a single minute in the 2026 playoffs, that is all we have to go on. Watson's two-way versatility will undoubtedly be missed in Denver, but this situation of sitting out the playoffs while watching his team get beaten certainly stains his legacy as a Nugget.

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