In the latest edition of his “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul explains that he worked to “protect” Peyton Watson by discouraging him from trying to play in the postseason while he was dealing with a strained left hamstring (Twitter video link from NBA writer Damien Peters).

“You’ve got to remember, he didn’t finish the season. He didn’t play in the playoffs,” Paul said. “He was dealing with a hamstring injury, soft tissue injury. And when you’re dealing with those injuries, you have to be very careful in your return. Guys want to play, and you have to protect them from themselves in that moment. Because you’re up for a contract and it’s the playoffs, and I’ve had a pretty good year, so I need to play. And it’s important to protect that.”

Watson was in the midst of a career-best season when he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in early February that sidelined him for more than six weeks. He saw restricted minutes in five games once he came back before being shut down again in early April.

Watson didn’t return for the playoffs, even though some members of the Nuggets organization reportedly believed that he could have played. Notably, teammate Aaron Gordon was dealing with a similar issue, but still appeared in three games as Denver lost to Minnesota in the first round.

Watson’s playoff absence could have contributed to the Nuggets’ refusal to give him the contract he was seeking in the neighborhood of $25MM per season, although management was also concerned about the size of its tax bill. Denver’s latest offer was reportedly $70MM over four years, which is far short of the extension the team gave to Christian Braun last fall.

Although it led to a prolonged standoff for the restricted free agent, Paul’s decision to “protect” his client’s best interest finally paid off this week. Watson was acquired by the Cavaliers in a five-team sign-and-trade deal and received a four-year, $88MM contract that includes a player option on the final season and a 7.5% trade kicker.