Nuggets Target DeRozan to Fill Watson Gap

The day after Peyton Watson's trade, Denver is already working on a replacement. The Nuggets have set their sights on DeMar DeRozan, according to Chris Haynes, in the most logical move imaginable: they've just lost wing production and the best available scorer on the market is still waiting for a team.

The 36-year-old shooting guard has been a free agent since July, when he agreed to a buyout with the Sacramento Kings after a market where no trade was possible. And his relevance is not in question: last season he averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 77 games under Doug Christie's direction.

Denver's problem is the same as always: money

The interest clashes with financial reality. With $223 million committed for the upcoming season, the Nuggets can only offer the veteran minimum, the same limitation they've faced for two years and which the Watson trade—completed precisely to ease the second apron—doesn't fully resolve.

The basketball proposition, however, is attractive: playing alongside Jokic guarantees easy shots for any scorer, and for DeRozan, who has never gone past a conference semifinal in 17 seasons, there's only one box left to check. The question is whether that box is worth the biggest salary cut of his career.

The other two doors

It's not the only table where his name appears. Miami maintains interest as a scoring complement to Giannis's new project, and there's a third option loaded with symbolism: a return to the Toronto Raptors to reunite with Kawhi Leonard, the man he was traded for in 2018 in the most painful deal of his career.

That last scenario, however, depends on Kawhi's trade thawing out, still blocked by the NBA's investigation into the Clippers. Like almost everything this summer, DeRozan's future also waits for others to move first.