The Denver Nuggets are in a heap of financial trouble. Their cap books are flooded with the big-money deals of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cameron Johnson, and Christian Braun. Each of those players is set to make approximately anywhere between $21.5 million to $59 million in 2026-27. Terrible timing for the Nuggets, considering Peyton Watson needs to be paid this summer.
Watson broke out in his fourth season. The Nuggets wing has positioned himself as a restricted free agent who is more than worth an offer sheet from somebody after pairing his career high 14.6 points per game with a 41.1 percent clip from beyond the arc, and strong defense on the other end.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who have a clear need for an upgrade on the wings, stand out as a natural suitor for Watson. However, Sam Vecenie of the Game Theory Podcast believed there was another way that Rob Pelinka could play this situation in free agency.
Vecenie said: "Threaten to give Peyton Watson a massive restricted free agency offer, and then maybe try to do Christian Braun. Hang that over the Nuggets' head and then be like 'Hey, we'll basically take Christian Braun into our cap space."
Lakers can flirt with the idea of adding Christian Braun for free
Comparing last season for Braun and Watson would lead everyone to the same conclusion: the latter is the superior player. That is, effectively, what the Lakers would be banking on here in Vecenie's hypothesized scenario.
Pelinka and company could offer the Nuggets a way out. They would give Denver cap room to retain Watson and take on Braun, whose big contract is largely weighing him down as a negative asset, for essentially nothing in the process.
Selling that idea from the Lakers' side of things is simple: their assets are limited and this could potentially be a free upgrade, even with the downside of his deal. Even so, Los Angeles would need to be confident they can revive the 2024-25 version of Braun that looked far more deserving of his money.
An injury-riddled campaign in 2025-26 quickly tanked the polarizing Nuggets wing in perception around the league. However, there was a clear sample of Braun being the type of 3-and-D fit that goes perfectly with Luka Doncic before this past season.
It is worth noting, at the least, the 25-year-old's 3-point shooting bounced back in percentages on limited volume during the Nuggets' brief playoff run. Braun shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc on 2.3 attempts per game in his six playoff outings.
The unsaid part here is making this type of move could come at the expense of LeBron James' short-term future in Los Angeles. That only adds to the perceived disdain and risk of taking that plunge.
Is Braun ultimately worth the gamble? Getting the 2024-25 version of him for free could be. If the Lakers believe his future looks a lot more like 2025-26, though, it is best to steer clear.
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