Milwaukee Bucks
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly one of three teams considered the most likely landing spots for star restricted free agent Peyton Watson as Denver’s salary cap continues to worsen and the team faces potentially large financial penalties.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nuggets are currently the only team in the league in the second apron, which functions as a hard cap under the current CBA. This classification puts Denver in a difficult position as Peyton Watson is looking for a long-term contract worth $25 million per year and will need to be traded to get that type of contract this season after Denver matched the Oklahoma City Thunder’s two-year $12 million offer sheet for Spencer Jones on Sunday.
When teams reach the second apron, they are severely limited in the kind of deals they may make and are unable to sign free agents or waive players, which is essential for every team, regardless of whether they are attempting to compete for a title or not.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report that Denver’s asking price for Watson in any sign-and-trade scenario is steep and that the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Atlanta Hawks have been the teams most aggressively trying to acquire Watson.
Making a deal with Denver is difficult, as they cannot afford to take on any expensive contracts in exchange for Watson, so the Bucks would need to trade one or more picks to Denver as well as find a team willing to take on an expiring contract, such as Caris LeVert or Kyle Kuzma, to give Milwaukee the flexibility to extend Watson and finalize the sign-and-trade.
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