Matching up against the Denver Nuggets used to fill the pits of Los Angeles Lakers fans with dread. It was the type of head-to-head that warranted waking up with cold sweats in the middle of the night. Now, the only nightmare is whatever is going on in the Nuggets front office. They just fumbled yet again.
Shams Charania reported: "BREAKING: Cleveland, Denver and the Clippers have agreed on a trade sending Peyton Watson to the Cavaliers, Max Strus to LA, and an unprotected 2031 Cavs first-round pick and a 2032 Kings second-rounder to the Nuggets, sources tell ESPN."
Chalk up Watson as the latest edition of Denver mismanaging their roster. After a breakout season, the Nuggets wing could not get a financial commitment from the team that had no alternatives on how to improve by moving him. The franchise settled for for cap relief and picks.
That would be all well and good if the Nuggets were not right in the middle of a contention window with Nikola Jokic. Instead of giving their superstar center more help, they are providing ample reason for him to seriously consider leaving next summer. All of this is music to the ears in Los Angeles.
Nuggets are only getting worse, giving the Lakers great relief
The playoff meetings with the Nuggets during recent seasons has made them an unappealing team to see on the schedule for the Lakers. Self-inflicted unraveling has eased those concerns.
Things are trending in the Lakers' favor, and the Nuggets' efforts to give away their talented players to other teams will only aid that. In 2024-25, Los Angeles split the season series with Denver. During the 2025-26 campaign, it was actually JJ Redick's squad who won that head-to-head, securing two out of three.
2026-27 will provide four confirmed meetings against the Nuggets in the regular season. The Lakers would be wise not to overlook them entirely. However, there should also be a ton more confidence with how they turn out after Jokic lost yet another valuable member of his supporting cast.
In the tale of these two contenders, one of them is trending up and the other is the Nuggets. The Lakers should still have ample opportunity to strike in the Luka Doncic era. Jokic's window to contend could be quietly shutting in Denver.
When the Nuggets won their title in 2023, eliminating the Lakers on their path, many thought Denver was here to stay as a year-to-year championship hopeful. With every passing season, they look far less like a contender and far closer to a manageable stepping stone.
Rejoice Los Angeles, the nightmare is fading.
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