Nikola Jokic could be sending a quiet warning after Peyton Watson leaves Denver

The Denver Nuggets lost one of the most important players on their roster in the past few years after shipping Peyton Watson away to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a five-team deal. As such, the team has seen its stock for next season plummet, especially with the West becoming even more jam-packed compared to the previous campaign.

Three-time MVP Nikola Jokic gave a pretty candid reaction to the Nuggets' decision to trade Watson, but his response to that highly divisive move certainly had an unfazed tone to it.

After a recent FIBA game, Jokic was asked about his thoughts on Denver losing Watson to Cleveland.

"I’m happy for Peyton; he deserved it," Jokic said, via Miroslav Cuk. "We will miss his energy and skill. I don’t think about the season yet, we have to play this, but it’s gonna be okay."

That certainly does not sound like a man who is enthused about what his team just pulled off. The Nuggets were unanimously reckoned as big losers in that multi-team trade, and it is not rocket science to see why. Denver still has a three-time MVP in his prime, yet the front office has done nothing in recent years but to tank its chances in the West.

The Nuggets have yet to make it back to the Finals (or even the Western Conference Finals) after winning the title in 2023, which is a massive disappointment given how untouchable Jokic remains among his contemporaries. Now, the West has a couple of new beasts in the Spurs and Thunder, and the Nuggets are starting to lag behind.

Jokic appears to be slowly getting used to the instances of the Nuggets brain trust fumbling the bag. That simply cannot be the case, lest the superstar could get tempted with the idea of him in a different situation, one that could involve him changing teams or just flat-out retiring.

In any case, the Watson trade is a disaster for Denver, at least for now. The Nuggets are wasting the Joker's best years due to their own decisions, and it is not out of the realm of reality to think that these mistakes could eventually get to him.