Bucks Could've Reportedly Landed Peyton Watson By Trading One Player

The Milwaukee Bucks have had an eventful offseason, starting with the blockbuster trade of Giannis Antetokounmpo. In a deal that was a year in the making, Milwaukee sent Giannis and Bobby Portis to the Miami Heat in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round draft picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick. At the NBA Draft, Milwaukee selected guard Brayden Burries with the tenth overall pick and then forward Nate Ament with the 13th overall pick, which was acquired in the Giannis trade. The team remained active in the rumor mill as they reportedly eyed restricted free agent Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets, and many wondered if they might flip Tyler Herro or if they could find a way to move Kyle Kuzma or Myles Turner. Watson and the Nuggets seemed destined for a split after it was reported that he was seeking $25 to $30 million following his breakout year, while the Nuggets weren't offering more than $18 million per year. The Nuggets were hampered by their current salary cap issues, as re-signing Watson would put them into the second apron and force trades elsewhere. According to the Denver Post, Jaime Jaquez Jr was "floated in preliminary talks" with Milwaukee, but the conversations were "entirely conceptual." The Bucks never made an official sign-and-trade offer. Watson was ultimately traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a first- and second-round pick. He signed a four-year, $88 million deal with Cleveland. After matching the offer sheet for Spencer Jones presented by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver went into the second apron and couldn't take back any money. A deal for Jaquez would've needed to be done before they matched the deal for Jones. After going into the second apron, their options became limited without making another move to clear cap space. The deal also couldn't have become official until September due to the trade restriction on Jaquez following the Giannis trade. Milwaukee may have been keen on the deal if they viewed Watson as having more upside than Jaquez, and they didn't want to have to deal with Jaquez's restricted free agency next offseason, where he could command similar money to Watson. Watson is a year younger than Jaquez Jr, and has shown more promise as an offensive contributor, especially with his scoring, but Jaquez brings a better feel for the game to the team. Denver may have ultimately said no, as they would wind up in the same restricted free agent position next year with Jaquez as they were with Watson.