Peyton Watson’s return to the contract market is turning into a major offseason flashpoint for the Denver Nuggets—starting with Bill Simmons’ blunt criticism of the front office’s refusal to spend aggressively around Nikola Jokić.
When Denver exited Game 6 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2025-26 postseason. it didn’t just leave a bitter taste—it exposed a roster gap. The Nuggets struggled without several key rotation players, and the absence that loomed largest was athletic wing Peyton Watson. He missed the entire postseason due to injury.
Now, the offseason complication is no longer about what the team lacked on the court. It’s about what it may have to pay for when Watson is set to enter restricted free agency soon. The expectation coming from across the league is that his market value could rise quickly.
NBA insider Brett Siegel—through ClutchPoints—has reported that multiple front-office executives believe the 23-year-old forward could command serious money. Some experts project an annual average value exceeding $24 million. Others think Denver could be pushed into a $30 million per year range—forcing the Nuggets to find major financial space if they want to keep him.
That pressure is already being felt beyond the Nuggets’ walls. The prospect of cutting costs, or making trades to accommodate a new deal, has sparked pushback from prominent media voices and skepticism from rival decision-makers.
Bill Simmons was the loudest name in the conversation. As shared by Legion Hoops on X on May 31, 2026, Simmons criticized Denver’s cautious financial strategy around Watson’s future. His message was simple and pointed: in his view. the Nuggets should stop treating the luxury tax as a constraint if the goal is to retain their championship core.
Simmons argued that ownership should ignore luxury tax considerations, centering his stance on Nikola Jokić. “Why do they have to trade anybody to sign Peyton Watson?. You have Jokic on your team, pay everyone, F*** off. Kroenke has a gazillion dollars, just keep everybody and pay Peyton Watson. Your owner is super rich; what are we doing?” Simmons said.
The debate didn’t stay inside the media, either. In an ESPN column by Tim Bontemps. a rival Western Conference scout delivered a harsher read on Denver’s likely next move. The scout said retaining Watson—and keeping the rest of the current roster intact—would push the franchise deep into luxury tax territory. The scout also took aim at ownership’s long-standing approach to spending. suggesting that while the Kroenkes could absorb the tax penalty. everyone “knows how the Kroenkes operate.”.
From there. the expectation became clearer: Denver would be more likely to trade players like Christian Braun or Cameron Johnson instead of paying a premium to keep Watson. The scout pointed to depth concerns Denver already faced without Watson during the postseason. yet still predicted cost-cutting would come first.
The tension running through the entire offseason is unavoidable: Watson’s injury absence created the kind of on-court uncertainty that usually drives urgency in contract talks. but the numbers attached to his restricted free agency could force a very different kind of decision—one Denver may not want to make. and rival teams believe it will make anyway.
Denver Nuggets Peyton Watson restricted free agency Nikola Jokic Bill Simmons Christian Braun Cameron Johnson Minnesota Timberwolves Game 6 luxury tax offseason