Checking in on Peyton Watson‘s restricted free agency, Tony Jones of The Athletic confirms that the Bucks, Clippers, and Hawks are among the rival suitors with interest in the Nuggets wing, as previously reported. However, since each of those three teams is operating over the cap, a sign-and-trade deal would almost certainly be necessary for one of them to land Watson.

With that in mind, the Nuggets believe they’re in a good spot to retain Watson, according to Jones, who says Denver values the 23-year-old “significantly” and is comfortable letting the restricted free agency process play out. As we saw in 2025, when four of the top restricted free agents of the summer remained unsigned until September, that process can drag on if no team with cap room is prepared to put an offer sheet on the table.

We have more on the Nuggets:

• Denver is viewed as an “increasingly likely” landing spot for veteran NBA coach Dave Joerger, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link). Joerger, who has been an NBA assistant or head coach since 2007, interviewed in June for the lead assistant position on David Adelman‘s staff, as Stein previously reported. He has also drawn interest from Paris Basketball as the EuroLeague club seeks a new head coach, but BasketNews reported last week that Joerger is leaning toward staying in the NBA in an assistant role rather than making the move overseas.
• The Nuggets like forward David Roddy “a lot,” says Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports (Twitter video link), but he’s skeptical that the former Colorado State standout will be back with the team in 2026/27. After finishing his fourth NBA season on a two-way deal with Denver, Roddy is no longer eligible to sign a two-way contract going forward. Additionally, as Wind points out, the Nuggets’ frontcourt is already crowded, so if the club makes another roster addition outside of re-signing its restricted free agents, a guard may be the priority.
• In case you missed it, the Nuggets recently finalized their contract agreements with free agents Tyus Jones, Alpha Diallo, and Marvin Bagley III. All three players received guaranteed one-year, minimum-salary contracts, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. While Diallo’s cap hit ($1,357,763) comes in below that of Jones and Bagley ($2,449,421), Diallo also carries a $2,449,421 charge for tax and apron purposes, since “tax variance” applies to his rookie minimum deal.