The Brooklyn Nets are still in the early stages of their offseason as they're looking to improve significantly after finishing the 2025-26 season with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn has plenty of matters to address during this offseason, including who they will be taking in the 2026 NBA Draft, but it seems like they could be one of the teams looking for an upgrade on the wing.
"League sources have already identified the Lakers, Bulls and Nets as potential suitors that are likely to have the requisite spending power to present an offer sheet that causes angst in the Rocky Mountains," NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote for The Stein Line on Wednesday when discussing Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson. Watson is a restricted free-agent this summer after having the best season of his career for Denver.
"In my conversations with various teams during the season, I've heard raves for the strides Watson has made as a ballhandler and shot-creator and how he operates in isolation on the perimeter with tangible comfort and poise," Fischer wrote in his explanation of why Watson is drawing free-agency interest. Fischer also noted in his article that the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls had already expressed interest in Watson prior to the February trade deadline.
Watson, 23, broke out this season with averages of 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from behind the three-point line. The former UCLA Bruin is playing on a $4.3 million team option this year after being selected with the 30th overall pick (first round) in the 2022 NBA Draft.
The Nets are one of a few teams this summer that could create enough cap space to offer a sizable offer sheet to Watson, but time will tell if general manager Sean Marks is interested in pursuing him. Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. spent three seasons as Watson's teammate before coming to Brooklyn via trade so the familiarity there could be another reason for the Nets to pursue Watson.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets considered free-agency suitors for Nuggets' Peyton Watson