Bucks targeting Peyton Watson

The Nuggets, mind you, still have two restricted free agents of their own to hash out deals with: Peyton Watson and Spencer Jones. And some fresh rumbles have been relayed to The Stein Line that the Bucks are joining the Clippers and Hawks on the list of teams trying to pry Watson away from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade.

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More on Peyton Watson: Recent HoopsHype Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers already came out to work and landed significant transactions this offseason. As such, they still won't mind adding one of their prominent free agent targets sooner. Los Angeles' ties and well-known hunt around Peyton Watson emerge yet again, as the talented forward was spotted having a brief time with Rob Pelinka. Pelinka embraced Watson before Friday's Summer League game of the Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Both of them engaged in a conversation before the Denver Nuggets wing ultimately left the scene. — 7/11/2026 BasketNews

Sources with knowledge of the talks told me Thursday that the Nuggets' sign-and-trade asking price has to this juncture been too steep for the Clippers to deeply consider. As a result, sources say, there is an increasing possibility that the Clippers opt from here to focus on re-signing their own restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin instead. — 7/10/2026 marcstein.substack.com

Atlanta, sources say, has also shown some fresh interest in Watson, which would likewise require a sign-and-trade to make it happen. That said, whether it's the Hawks or the Clippers or any other suitor, sources maintain that the Nuggets are seeking compensation on par with what Utah received from the Lakers in their recent sign-and-trade swap that made Walker Kessler a Laker. — 7/10/2026 marcstein.substack.com

AP Hoops: Rich Paul of Klutch Sports is “not rushing” a resolution to Peyton Watson’s restricted free agency, with the focus on getting his client paid what he’s worth, and the agency is comfortable if the process drags out, per @JakeLFischer . — 7/10/2026 x.com

Another Western Conference executive said teams around the league are now waiting to see the Clippers’ next move. The Clippers have interest in Denver’s Peyton Watson, who is a restricted free agent. The Nuggets can match any offer sheet and want to keep Watson but could always opt for a sign-and-trade. The Clippers also want to keep their own restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin, whom they acquired in the Zubac trade. -- Ohm Youngmisuk — 7/8/2026 TSN

Jake Fischer: The Clippers are signing Rui Hachimura by way of their mid-level exception, per source. The two-year, $28 million deal has a team option in the second season, and I’m being told does not rule out Los Angeles from a sign-and-trade pursuit of Nuggets restricted free agent Peyton Watson. — 7/6/2026 x.com

The Clippers, league sources said, have shown legitimate interest in Watson but are also navigating their own restricted free agency situation with Bennedict Mathurin, which complicates matters. Several teams are known to have registered interest in a sign-and-trade for Watson. — 7/5/2026 New York Times

The Denver Nuggets intend to match any offers for restricted free agent Peyton Watson when the NBA’s moratorium lifts on Monday, said league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations. — 7/5/2026 New York Times

Yet as the Nuggets and Watson’s agent, Rich Paul of the Klutch Sports Group, have continued to be apart in negotiations for a new contract, sources say Denver is also very open to the prospect of a sign-and-trade for the 23-year-old forward. — 7/5/2026 New York Times

Watson, meanwhile, is said to be seeking a deal north of the $25 million in average annual value that Christian Braun secured from Denver in October. How feasible that is in this marketplace remains to be seen. — 7/4/2026 marcstein.substack.com

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Bucks targeting Peyton Watson