The Milwaukee Bucks are reportedly eyeing one of the best young free agents still left on the board. Per NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), Denver's Peyton Watson is someone the Bucks are looking to "pry away" from the Nuggets in a sign-and-trade. Watson would be a great piece to add to this new squad, but acquiring him would require forking over significant assets.
Nuggets want a haul for prized young forward
Insider Jake Fischer (subscription required) recently reported that if Denver moves Watson in a sign-and-trade, they would like compensation similar to what the Utah Jazz received for Walker Kessler via a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Utah got a haul for their big man, receiving unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030. Jeez.
The Milwaukee Bucks are armed with that type of firepower after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade, but they should certainly be cautious. Watson is a great young player who would fit snugly with this team for years to come, but that's a lot of assets to cough up for a player who is still largely unproven. Milwaukee would really be banking on him being a needle-mover if they went through with this move.
Another forward could put finishing touches on roster
The Milwaukee Bucks currently have too many players on their roster, but they could still use another forward to really round out their depth chart. LeBron James certainly doesn't have Milwaukee on his radar, so it makes plenty of sense for the team to chase Watson. Outside of James, he's arguably the biggest fish left on the free agent market.
He'd fit seamlessly with this new core post-Antetokounmpo, giving the Milwaukee Bucks their small forward of the future. At 23 years old, the forward is still young and has plenty of room to grow as a player, especially in a spot where he could likely spread his wings more than he can on the Nuggets, who have stars like Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.
If Milwaukee's Watson interest falls through, which could be a result of him returning to Denver or being moved to the Clippers or Hawks, two teams Stein mentions are also chasing him, the Bucks could still use a forward. Jonathan Kuminga is still treading the free agency waters and could be a decent backup plan to Watson if Milwaukee deems Denver's asking price far too steep.
For now, the Milwaukee Bucks appeared fully focused on chasing Peyton Watson, and rightfully so.
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