Appearing on DNVR Sports’ Nuggets podcast (YouTube link), NBA insider Marc Stein said he continues to hear that the Nuggets‘ offers to restricted free agent forward Peyton Watson have been in the range of $16-18MM per year. Stein reported last week that Denver’s best offer to Watson at that point in his free agency had been in the neighborhood of $70MM over four seasons, which would work out to $17.5MM annually.
“I’ve consistently heard the offers are in the $16-to-$18MM range, in terms of annual average value,” Stein said. “You can understand if you’re in Peyton Watson’s shoes, you wouldn’t want that. You would want more. But the uncomfortable reality of restricted free agency is it’s incumbent on the restricted free agent to go out and generate more. You guys see the same marketplace I do — how is he going to do that?”
As Watson waits for his resolution on his restricted free agency, he has spent the offseason bulking up. He recently revealed an Instagram that he’s up to 220 pounds after being listed last season at 200 (Twitter link via DNVR Sports).
We have more from around the Northwest:
As Harrison Wind of The Denver Gazette relays (via Twitter), Nuggets forward Spencer Jones provided some more insight into his free agency process in a post on LinkedIn, noting that he took the possibility of expansion in two years and a new CBA in three years into account as he considered how many seasons to sign for.
Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron (Substack link) takes a belated look at the Trail Blazers‘ acquisition of Ja Morant and considers what it means for the team moving forward. While Portland was able to buy low on Morant, the trade isn’t without some potential downside, according to Gozlan, who notes that the former Grizzlies point guard didn’t play especially well when he was available last season and will become part of a crowded backcourt rotation that new head coach Micah Nori will have to sort out.
After word broke last week that a few more NBA teams were expected to join Brooklyn and New York in streaming their games via DAZN in 2026/27, the Timberwolves became the first of those clubs to formally confirm an agreement with the sports streaming service. Dane Moore (Twitter link) and Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic dig into what the deal with DAZN means for fans in Minnesota, who will no longer be able to watch games via traditional cable or satellite television packages.