Dave McMenamin of ESPN wrote on Friday that the Milwaukee Bucks, Hawks, Cavaliers, and Clippers are "serious candidates" to get Peyton Watson. However, as the reporter touched on, there is an obvious question about Los Angeles that complicates things: How much does what's going on with Kawhi Leonard affect the team's pursuit?
The Clippers' Kawhi trade with the Raptors is on hold, by Toronto's choice, until the investigation into the alleged Aspiration cap-circumvention scandal is complete.
As if that already wasn't enough of a roadblock for LA, Pablo Torre revealed on his podcast episode released on Thursday that Leonard also had a partnership with Daktronics, a video board manufacturer for several NBA arenas (including the Clippers), that gave him millions to, you guessed it, allegedly circumvent the salary cap.
The investigation has already been ongoing for months, dating back to last fall, and there is no guarantee it will be concluded in time for the start of the 2026-27 season, especially after Torre's latest report. That doesn't mean the Clippers can't still execute a sign-and-trade for Watson, but Leonard's future in limbo complicates matters. LA doesn't know if its biggest offseason move will actually play out.
Clippers are still waiting to learn what will happen with Kawhi Leonard
The Clippers can meet the Nuggets' current reported asking price for Watson, which is a first-round pick and a high-level player, and they can add to their available draft assets to offer if the Leonard trade goes through. If the investigation finds that Los Angeles is guilty of circumventing the salary cap, one of the punishments the league can impose is taking away several of its first-round picks.
As Eric Nehm of The Athletic reported on Thursday, the Bucks are "hesitant" to give up a first-round pick (subscription required) for Watson, but they're still interested in the 23-year-old. They could maybe sway the Nuggets to send him to Milwaukee, even without including a first-round pick.
Obviously, the less competition for the forward, the better, so Leonard hindering Los Angeles' pursuit of Watson plays in Milwaukee's favor.
If a sign-and-trade hasn't happened by Oct. 1, that's Watson's deadline to decide whether he wants to accept his $6.5 million qualifying offer. The Leonard investigation could still be ongoing at that point, maybe even well past that, as Baxter Holmes of ESPN reported on July 29 that it could go into 2027 "if the parties don't agree on the findings or any proposed settlement that involves punishing the team."
If the Clippers weren't in the middle of this chaos, and their Leonard trade had already gone through, they could put all of their attention on Watson. With Los Angeles trying to go in a new direction, Watson would be a great addition, just as he'd be in Milwaukee. The difference is, the Bucks are already going in that direction, while LA is stuck.
Watson could very well already be on a new team (or officially back in Denver) before the Kawhi mess is resolved, and maybe, just maybe, that new team will be in Milwaukee.
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