{"id":19330,"date":"2026-07-28T00:10:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:10:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19330"},"modified":"2026-07-28T00:10:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T19:10:38","slug":"nuggets-face-concerning-peyton-watson-dilemma-after-spencer-jones-decision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=19330","title":{"rendered":"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"0\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">While LeBron James&#8217; high-profile move to Philadelphia continues to dominate headlines across the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/sports-nba\">NBA<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/topic\/sports-nba-nuggets\">Denver Nuggets<\/a> made a subtler move on Sunday that may complicate the situation with Peyton Watson. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"1\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/49459602\/sources-nuggets-matching-okc-offer-sheet-spencer-jones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania reported<\/a> that the Nuggets decided to match the Oklahoma City Thunder&#8217;s fully guaranteed two-year, $12 million offer sheet to Spencer Jones, keeping the 6-foot-7 forward in Denver through the 2027-28 season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"2\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">Jones was an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Stanford, and after seeing limited playing time as a rookie, he saw a significant boost in minutes last season. Appearing in 64 games, including 37 starts, he averaged 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 steals in 22.1 minutes per game, shooting 50.4% from the field and 39.6% from 3-point range. <\/p>\n<section class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__container\" data-gtm-action=\"Read_More\" data-variant=\"v2\" data-loading=\"true\" aria-busy=\"true\" aria-label=\"Loading related stories\">\n<p><h4 class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlineText\"><span class=\"RelatedStoriesV2-module-scss-module__Hqo30W__headlinePrefix\">Read More<!-- --> on <\/span><span>NBA<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"4\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">However, by matching Jones&#8217; offer sheet, that has now pushed the Nuggets into the costly second apron of the luxury tax, restricting their financial flexibility to get any deal done with Watson. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"5\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\"><strong>More news<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/sports\/nba\/lebron-james-had-doubts-about-joel-embiid-before-signing-with-76ers-report-12249445\">LeBron James Had Doubts About Joel Embiid Before Signing with 76ers: Report<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__container\">\n<div class=\"ImageBlock-module-scss-module__rUGLEG__imageContainer\" style=\"padding-bottom:69.0975%\"><img id=\"12093806\" alt=\"Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets\" caption=\"Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on November 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond\/Getty Images)\" captionoverride=\"Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Nov. 21, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond\/Getty Images)\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sourceimage=\"Getty Images\" sources=\"[]\" blockindex=\"6\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"4443\" height=\"3070\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 640px) 680px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=640&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 640w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=750&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 750w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1000&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1000w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1200&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1200w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1360&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1360w, https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1 1600w\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1600&amp;quality=80&amp;webp=1\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"7\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\"><strong>More news<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/sports\/nba\/heats-klay-thompson-pursuit-hits-potential-roadblock-plan-b-emerges-12242362\">Heat\u2019s Klay Thompson Pursuit Hits Potential Roadblock \u2013 Plan B Emerges<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"8\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">While Jones looked good last year, he wasn&#8217;t nearly the player Watson was \u2014 or what Watson is projected to be. The 30th overall pick in 2022, Watson put up career-highs across the board last season, averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 0.9 steals in 29.6 minutes per game, while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from long range  \u2014 and he&#8217;s still just 23 years old.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"9\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">Watson is coming off a breakout year with the Nuggets, and with his rookie deal up, signing him to a long-term deal was widely viewed as one of the biggest priorities in Denver. <\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"11\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">The team is already carrying heavy financial commitments to Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon, and Watson looks like he could be the league&#8217;s next big breakout star. Locking him into a long-term deal before he fully arrived as a star would have been the ideal play, but the Nuggets have now boxed themselves into a tough spot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"13\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">It isn&#8217;t impossible for them to still get a deal done, but Watson is already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nba\/news\/nuggets-peyton-watson-contract-qualifying-offer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">reportedly weighing the idea<\/a> of taking a one-year qualifying offer of around $6.5 million for the 2026-27 season, which would set him up to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"14\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\">Moves like this make it hard to imagine any deal for Watson getting done \u2014 and they potentially limit his chances of staying with the franchise beyond next season.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph-module-scss-module__0ovlkG__blockParagraph\" blockindex=\"15\" articletitle=\"Nuggets Face Concerning Peyton Watson Dilemma After Spencer Jones Decision\" id=\"artend_links\"><strong>More news<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/sports\/nba\/demar-derozan-expected-to-have-fresh-talks-with-one-eastern-contender-12242125\">DeMar DeRozan Could Be Next for One Eastern Conference Contender<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While LeBron James&#8217; high-profile move to Philadelphia continues to dominate headlines across the NBA, the Denver Nuggets made a subtler move on Sunday that may complicate the situation with Peyton Watson. ESPN&#8217;s Shams Charania reported that the Nuggets decided to match the Oklahoma City Thunder&#8217;s fully guaranteed two-year, $12 million offer sheet to Spencer Jones,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets.newsweek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/GettyImages-2247954916.jpg?w=1200&crop=1","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsweek-trending"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}