Peyton Watson free agency takes twist with Bucks joining list of top suitors

One NBA insider revealed the expanded list of Peyton Watson suitors, with the Milwaukee Bucks now joining the party.

In an NBA offseason filled with blockbuster trades and an ongoing run of speculation surrounding LeBron James' next team, one name in free agency that remains a significant question mark is Denver Nuggets guard Peyton Watson. After a statistical breakout season in 2025-26, Watson is a restricted free agent, and after it initially seemed that he was destined to land with the Los Angeles Clippers, slowly but surely, other teams are emerging. Although the Clippers remain the frontrunner and most likely landing spot for Watson, the Atlanta Hawks have also been linked to the 23-year-old.

Now, though, his free agency could be poised to add some drama, thanks to a recent report from longtime NBA insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line. In a recent free agency rundown, Stein highlighted that, along with the Clippers and Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks have joined the mix of teams attempting to strike a sign-and-trade with the Nuggets for Watson. "And some fresh rumbles have been relayed to The Stein Line that the Bucks are joining the Clippers and Hawks on the list of teams trying to pry Watson away from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade," Stein wrote.

Following the Bucks' blockbuster trade to send Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Miami Heat, they are in the midst of balancing a team capable of having some success quickly, while also building for the future. In turn, adding a name like Watson could go a long way toward helping on both fronts, as they have additional draft capital from the Giannis trade, and potentially adding Watson to a young core would be an excellent move. Whether the Bucks can truly push into the mix ahead of the Clippers and Hawks is anyone's guess at this point, but one thing that's apparent is that the pursuit of Watson is heating up as the 2026-27 season slowly approaches.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Peyton Watson free agency takes twist with Bucks joining list of top suitors