Peyton Watson is still out there as a restricted free agent, waiting to learn if he will return to the Nuggets, whether on his one-year, $6.5 million qualifying offer or a multi-year deal, or if he'll be with a whole new team. If the Los Angeles Lakers had it their way, he'd return home, which could technically still happen, though they don't have the assets Denver is looking for.
Still, Los Angeles can come out on the other side as winners of the Watson saga, even if he remains in Denver by landing a player like Cam Johnson or maybe even Christian Braun in a trade.
The Nuggets are in second tax-apron territory after matching the Thunder's offer for Spencer Jones (which resulted in a $32 million luxury tax increase, yikes!), and re-signing Watson to a multi-year deal would push them even further into it.
Pete Zayas said on the "Lakers Collective" podcast that he thinks if Denver signs Watson to a $20 million-per-year contract, the Nuggets will move on from Braun or Johnson to avoid paying a hefty tax bill. He said it in the context that Watson signing first would leave Kuminga as the last available wing target, which could work for or against LA, but while that's certainly a situation worth thinking about, it's not the focus here.
Could the Lakers swoop in and help the Nuggets out a little bit by finding a way to benefit themselves?
Nuggets could shed salary if they re-sign Peyton Watson
You're probably not all that sold on Braun, although he's 25 years old, and that's because of the five-year, $125 million contract he signed last offseason with the Nuggets, which officially starts in 2026-27. At the beginning of the summer, you might've been able to talk yourself into him with the Lakers' available cap space, but not anymore.
Johnson, on the other hand, is on an expiring $23 million deal, which would be feasible if it can find a trade partner for Jarred Vanderbilt. If Los Angeles doesn't end up getting Jonathan Kuminga (or if the front office is tired of waiting), the Lakers could pivot to him to fill the starting four role without taking on a big financial commitment.
It was just last summer that the Nuggets sent an unprotected first-round pick and Michael Porter Jr. to the Nets for Johnson. He got off to a slow start in Denver, but as soon as he found a bit of a groove, he missed over a month with a knee injury.
Johnson finished the season averaging 12.2 points on 43% shooting from three on 4.7 attempts per game. He doesn't have the defensive upside that Kuminga or Watson have, but he's decent enough on that end. What he has over those two is that he's a proven player, so the Lakers would know what they're getting into.
At 30, Johnson's just a few years older than Luka Dončić. He certainly has more than enough basketball left in him to hang around in Los Angeles for a bit.
If the Lakers don't walk away from the offseason with at least Kuminga, it may not result in the kind of disappointment you'd think if they find a way to take advantage of the Nuggets perhaps moving on from Johnson. It may not be something Denver necessarily wants to do, but it would save the Kroenkes from spending significantly more money, and that could be enough to get something done.
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