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The Atlanta Hawks have been linked to Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson this offseason, and they aren't alone.
Several teams appear to be interested in the 23-year-old, who had a breakout 2025-26 season.
However, the word is that the Nuggets want at least one first-round pick and one notable player in any sign-and-trade scenario, and the Hawks are among the teams that haven't offered Denver a first-round pick, according to HoopsHype.
"As of now, the [Milwaukee] Bucks, [Cleveland] Cavaliers, Hawks, and [Los Angeles] Clippers have not offered a first-round pick to the Nuggets in sign-and-trade discussions for Watson, league sources told HoopsHype," wrote NBA insider Michael Scotto.
While there is clearly a market for Watson, the Nuggets are also interested in keeping him for themselves. The problem is that Watson and Denver have seemingly been far apart in negotiations. The situation isn't helped by the fact that the Nuggets are now in the second apron, which also complicates sign-and-trade possibilities.
There's still a chance Watson could return to the Nuggets on a qualifying offer, which would set the table for him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and possibly earn himself a deal closer to what he's looking for.
It's no wonder why the Hawks and other teams are interested in the California native, as he just put together a big 2025-26 season in which he showed the league what he can do. After serving primarily as a bench piece in his first three years at the NBA level, he started in a majority of his appearances this past season and averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
He was also very efficient in the process, knocking down 49.1 percent of his shots from the field and 41.1 percent of his shots from long range. It's all starting to come together for him after he was originally drafted with the final pick in the first round in 2022.
The Hawks are working on a promising young core headlined by rising star Jalen Johnson, and they've already added to it in more ways than one this summer, including with their lottery selection of guard Kingston Flemings. Watson would be a strong addition to the up-and-coming group, and his best basketball is almost certainly still in front of him.
But given the asking price, competition from other teams and logistical obstacles at play, Atlanta probably shouldn't assume that it's going to land the swingman. A lot will need to come together in order for the Hawks to come out on top of this one. The good news is that even if Atlanta can't land Watson this time around, it could have another chance next summer if he ends up playing out the 2026-27 season on his qualifying offer.
Continue reading...
Several teams appear to be interested in the 23-year-old, who had a breakout 2025-26 season.
However, the word is that the Nuggets want at least one first-round pick and one notable player in any sign-and-trade scenario, and the Hawks are among the teams that haven't offered Denver a first-round pick, according to HoopsHype.
"As of now, the [Milwaukee] Bucks, [Cleveland] Cavaliers, Hawks, and [Los Angeles] Clippers have not offered a first-round pick to the Nuggets in sign-and-trade discussions for Watson, league sources told HoopsHype," wrote NBA insider Michael Scotto.
While there is clearly a market for Watson, the Nuggets are also interested in keeping him for themselves. The problem is that Watson and Denver have seemingly been far apart in negotiations. The situation isn't helped by the fact that the Nuggets are now in the second apron, which also complicates sign-and-trade possibilities.
There's still a chance Watson could return to the Nuggets on a qualifying offer, which would set the table for him to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason and possibly earn himself a deal closer to what he's looking for.
It's no wonder why the Hawks and other teams are interested in the California native, as he just put together a big 2025-26 season in which he showed the league what he can do. After serving primarily as a bench piece in his first three years at the NBA level, he started in a majority of his appearances this past season and averaged 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
He was also very efficient in the process, knocking down 49.1 percent of his shots from the field and 41.1 percent of his shots from long range. It's all starting to come together for him after he was originally drafted with the final pick in the first round in 2022.
The Hawks are working on a promising young core headlined by rising star Jalen Johnson, and they've already added to it in more ways than one this summer, including with their lottery selection of guard Kingston Flemings. Watson would be a strong addition to the up-and-coming group, and his best basketball is almost certainly still in front of him.
But given the asking price, competition from other teams and logistical obstacles at play, Atlanta probably shouldn't assume that it's going to land the swingman. A lot will need to come together in order for the Hawks to come out on top of this one. The good news is that even if Atlanta can't land Watson this time around, it could have another chance next summer if he ends up playing out the 2026-27 season on his qualifying offer.
Continue reading...
