ESPN’s Shams Charania dropped a bomb on Wednesday, reporting the Nuggets shipped Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-team deal, and honestly, it felt like the final nail in a coffin Denver has been building around Nikola Jokić for years. Sure, if you look at it in a vacuum, moving Watson might seem justifiable. The dude averaged 8.7 points and shot 36.1 percent from deep, and those numbers actually look worse if you take out his one decent stretch in January. Denver apparently wasn’t ready to drop $22 million a year on him and sink even deeper past the second apron, which, fine. But that’s not the whole story, not by a long shot.
This Is How You Fail a Superstar
The real problem here, the one everyone’s yelling about, is what this trade screams about the Nuggets’ commitment to Nikola Jokić. We’re not just talking about the best player in franchise history here. We’re talking about one of the best players in *NBA history*, full stop. The guy is first all-time in career player efficiency rating, box plus/minus, and win shares per 48 minutes. He’s tied for first all-time in career triple-doubles, including the playoffs! Three MVPs puts him among just ten players ever, and he’s sixth all-time in MVP shares, behind only a list of absolute legends like LeBron and Jordan.
This isn’t some aging veteran on his last leg either. Jokić is 31, smack-dab in his prime, with a ground-bound game that’s built to age gracefully. And what do his team do? They punted on the restricted free agency of possibly their biggest upside bet for a first-round pick that won’t even convey until Jokić is 36. No players back, young or otherwise. You kidding me? This move just seals the deal on this being the fourth straight losing summer for the Nuggets since they won the championship in 2023.
Four Offseasons of Backslides
Think about it: right after their title run, they lost Bruce Brown. Yeah, CBA rules, but still. The next summer, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope walked away. In 2025, they traded Michael Porter Jr. and draft capital for Cameron Johnson and then lost Russell Westbrook. They tried to patch it with guys like Dario Šarić and Jonas Valančiūnas, both of whom are already gone. Now, this summer, they lose Watson and Tim Hardaway Jr. And let’s not forget Zeke Nnaji’s inexplicable four-year extension, or attaching three second-round picks just to dump Reggie Jackson’s salary.
Individually, some of these moves might have had “reasonable explanations.” The Porter-for-Johnson swap, for instance, supposedly added flexibility. But then MPJ goes to Brooklyn and averages 25.6 points, 3.8 threes, and 3.2 assists, shooting 39.8 percent from deep in his first 38 games. That’s a ceiling they gave up! When you put all four offseasons together, it’s not just a few missteps, it feels absolutely disastrous.
Jokić’s talent guarantees that team is competitive every single night. But winning at the highest level, making deep runs for more championships, that requires more than one generational talent. It demands smart management, consistent roster building, and showing your superstar you’re all in. Right now, it looks like the Nuggets are doing anything but. What’s next for this team? Are they really going to waste one of the greatest talents this league has ever seen? Jokić deserves better, and you gotta wonder how long he can carry this team before something truly breaks.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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