Lakers to Target Peyton Watson in NBA Free Agency

he Los Angeles Lakers are a team at a bit of a crossroads with a week left before the NBA trade deadline. General manager Rob Pelinka will have some tough choices to make, as he could either try to improve the roster immediately or save the team's trade assets in hopes of making bigger, more substantial moves during the summer.

As usual, leading up to the trade deadline, the Lakers have been linked to quite a few notable names, from Giannis Antetokounmpo to Jonathan Kuminga and the talented pair of 3-and-D wings of the New Orleans Pelicans, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. However, it doesn't appear that the team has the trade assets to make big moves, so it remains uncertain what the team will do moving forward.

Lakers Interested in Signing Peyton Watson

One name that recently surfaced this week as a target for the Lakers in NBA free agency during the offseason is rising star Peyton Watson of the Denver Nuggets.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Lakers will be armed with cap space this summer and may have their sights set on making a run at Watson.

“It must be said, though, that rival executives are increasingly curious about Denver's likely struggles to retain Peyton Watson this summer given the fourth-year swingman's recent breakout play amid all of the Nuggets' health woes," Fischer wrote. "We'll certainly be tracking this situation over the coming months, since Watson's restricted free agency is already shaping up to become a major domino of the offseason. Sources say teams that are projected to have cap space — notably such as the Lakers — are already preparing interest.”

Much like Jones and Murphy, Watson would immediately address the Lakers' issues on the defensive end of the floor. He's having a career year with the Nuggets and turning a lot of heads around the league.

Watson went from starting only 18 games last season for the Nuggets to nearly doubling that number this season, with 34 starts after 44 games played so far during the 2025-26 campaign. Denver has made the UCLA product a key part of the team's rotation, as he's quickly become the team's best defender while also being a force to be reckoned with offensively.

Currently, Watson is averaging career-high numbers in points (14.4), rebounds (5.0), assists (1.9) and steals (1.0) per game while shooting career-best percentages from the field (49.9%) and from beyond the arc (41.1%).

He'd be a welcome addition to a Lakers squad that could use his all-around impact on the floor.