The Denver Nuggets are catching a lot of heat from NBA fans on social media after they traded away Peyton Watson for what many think is a poor return.
Peyton Watson was a restricted free agent coming into the 2026 NBA offseason. The 23-year-old needed to get paid and the Denver Nuggets didn’t have the cap space to give him what he wanted.
It looked likely that Watson would move on this summer. On Wednesday, Shams Charania announced that the young wing had been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a 3-team trade also involving the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers received Max Strus in the transaction, while the Nuggets got an unprotected 2031 first-round pick from the Cavs and a Kings’ 2032 second-round pick. And fans seem to think it’s not enough.
NBA fans think Denver Nuggets handled Peyton Watson’s situation poorly
Considering the context of the Nuggets’ cap restrictions and Watson’s worth on the market, moving on from the young star seemed like it was going to happen.
However, Denver could have planned for the situation better than they did, and as such, are now receiving quite a lot of criticism on social media.
“Awful return for Denver. Just straight up terrible,” commented NBA insider Kevin O’Connor. “The Nuggets really said let’s take the worst possible route and commit to it,” a fan added.
“Pay him the $22m and trade him or Cam during the season. Agree this is awful,” a third fan said. “What’s the point of billionaire money if you’re not gonna spend it?” another asked.
“Denver went downhill the day they let Tim Connelly go. Just happy Jokic got his ring,” one comment read. “It’s awful what this franchise has done this offseason,” claimed a sixth fan.
The Nuggets could have decided to pay Watson, although the luxury tax and second apron penalties would have been severe.
However, losing him for a small return like this is far from ideal, and it’s not surprising that fans think it’s a bad move.
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