What Nuggets Assistant Coach Said About Losing Peyton Watson

Oct 23, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson (8) brings the ball down against the Golden State Warriors the court during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What Nuggets Assistant Coach Said About Losing Peyton Watson

Originally posted on Denver Nuggets on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 5, 2026 1:00 PM ET

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The Denver Nuggets lost a few pieces from last year's roster over the course of this most recentl offseason–– but their biggest departure has been none other than 23-year-old forward Peyton Watson.

After a long and dragged-out restricted free agency process took place over the course of June and July, the Nuggets decided to move in a different direction from Watson by trading him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a future first-round pick.

The move was a tough pill to swallow for the Nuggets. While they were able to gain a bit more draft and financial flexibility by trading away Watson, he proved last season that he could be one of Denver's most talented players on the roster, all while being their youngest.

What a Nuggets Assistant Coach Said About Losing Peyton Watson

We have yet to hear from many inside the Nuggets' organization about the development of losing Watson, as the move had just happened this last month.

Once media day arrives leading into the regular season, we'll likely hear some more in-depth thoughts from both the players and staff still around on the move to trade Watson away.

But one name who has spoken about the recent decision has been Nuggets assistant Ognjen Stojaković, who was interviewed by Basketball Network to give some of his thoughts on what it means for Denver.

And overall, the message was simple: losing Watson hurts, but the Nuggets have no choice but to move forward.

“First of all, Peyton is a great, great kid. Very talented, good personality, playing hard, all of those," Stojakovic said. "I mean, of course, losing someone like someone who was drafted by our organization, it’s not easy. So, now we can be sad about that, or we can be like, 'Okay, it is what it is, and we’re going to do the next step, and do whatever is necessary to rebuild us, and to find the right way and the right direction to win a championship.”

“It’s never easy. It’s hard. But it is what it is; we are professionals. We know what our goal is, so we’re going to do everything possible to try to win the championship one more time. At least."

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Watson, if he returned to the Nuggets roster, was bound to have a big role considering he was fresh off a career season in 2025-26, and would've certainly been paid like a top contributor too.

When Watson was healthy, he played in 54 games to average 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and led the team with 1.1 blocks per game while shooting an efficient 49.1% clip from the field and 41.1% from three. He finished the season as one of four Nuggets with over 1,000 points on the season.

But the Nuggets, with the financial situation they were in and not being willing to foot the bill for Watson, decided to steer in a different direction. Their roster and rotation loses a bit of firepower on both ends because of it, but the feelings inside the building still seem to be remaining positive.

Now, this season will be all about Denver's ability to rebuild their bench rotation after several changes from this summer, and whether or not their moves will be enough to keep them afloat for a better outcome in the Western Conference.

And there's no doubt that Watson's presence will be the toughest to replace of any departure that the Nuggets have faced from the past several months.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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