Peyton Watson wanted to sign contract extension with Nuggets, but now he can ‘set his market’ in restricted free agency

Peyton Watson s home-opener highlight was indicative of an aspect of his challenge that has gradually matured Playing pick-and-roll with Jamal Murray he was neglected by two Phoenix Suns defenders for just long enough that neither could recover to him by the time Murray fired him a quick pass I just saw the lane open up and nobody was there to stop me by the time I got to the restricted area Watson explained I knew at that point I was gonna try to dunk it That he did welcoming Suns rookie Khaman Maluach to the league with a one-handed poster as the -footer tried to rotate over Watson stuck the landing and flexed Ball Arena approved The Nuggets were on their way to paint points and a - win over Phoenix But Nuggets coach David Adelman was focused on the big picture afterward Peyton s activity tonight was great He screened well He got on the rim Adelman disclosed Everyone s gonna talk about his dunk which was a highlight play but he had multiple times when he explored the paint with a roll and that allows you to produce offense behind it Watson has been assigned to a variety of spots on the floor over the last three years as the Nuggets have tried to figure out exactly what they have in the athletic young wing The dunker spot The corner The point to initiate offense The paint as a roller Those experiences add up to a useful participant but not a master of any one role Which left Watson and the Nuggets at a contractual impasse last week That means Watson will be a restricted free agent next offseason after not agreeing to a rookie-scale extension before the preseason deadline for first-round draft picks to sign From what I understand it was just a financial business decision for the Nuggets Obviously with the new CBA and the second apron things of that nature they wished to stay out of that Watson narrated The Denver Post As a business you ve gotta operate based on what s best for your business And when it comes time for me to make my decision next summer I ve gotta operate as a business myself That s no diss to the Nuggets That s no diss to the Kroenkes They ve evidenced me a lot of love a lot of hospitality and they ve done a lot for me They gave me a chance in this league to prove that I m gonna be here for a while So I think everything will work itself out Restricted free agency is traditionally a process that limits a member s autonomy After the Nuggets extend a qualifying offer in all likelihood Watson s path to joining a new unit will require him to sign an offer sheet the terms of which Denver has the opportunity to match But in this scenario the Nuggets might not have enough room on their books for Watson next summer if avoiding the second apron remains a guiding principle for company ownership That threshold is projected to be around million for the - league year And after signing Christian Braun to a five-year million rookie extension before the deadline last Monday Denver is already up against it with roster spots penciled in and four spots vacant Offering Watson anything more than about million annually after the Braun extension would ve put the Nuggets in second-apron territory So no deal And possibly no deal next summer either Even if Denver clears out million in cap space in the form of Jonas Valanciunas non-guaranteed salary will there be enough room for the front office to both negotiate a new deal that pays Watson territory value and fill out the rest of the roster That question is unanswerable until after this season Watson s fourth in the league He ll have to earn a payday on the court Peyton has a chance here Adelman reported If he has a great year he can put himself where he wants to That s what our league is about You prove it every day You prove it every year And eventually if you work hard and you do the right things you ll benefit Peyton s been great He had a really good preseason And everybody has their time So he can set his region and I think he will That point broaches the elephant in the room If the Kroenke family is unwilling to spend into the second apron doesn t that mean the unfortunate reality is that Watson s ideal outcome now is to play himself out of their price range and sign with a new group It s so far away for me to able to even tell you dog he explained The Post Obviously we have ideas and scenarios and things go a million different procedures But you can never expect too much You ve just gotta go in there put in your work and it s not over until the fat lady sings Related Articles Nuggets Journal My Denver media brethren and I lost by to Nuggets coaches in pickup battle Ball Arena ups its food event for - 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