The Los Angeles Lakers’ roster could look significantly different next season. Several of their current players can or will become free agents this summer, and they’re currently projected to have roughly $50 million in salary cap space. This will present them with a unique opportunity to improve and shape their roster around Luka Doncic.
One player they will reportedly try to go after this summer is Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson. He will be a restricted free agent, which means another team may have to overpay him a bit, but he showed plenty of growth this season. After averaging 8.1 points a game and shooting 35.3% from 3-point range last year, he put up 14.6 points per game and made 41.1% of his 3-point attempts during the regular season this year.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers, along with the Chicago Bulls, showed interest in trading for Watson prior to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
“League sources have already identified the Lakers, Bulls and [Brooklyn] 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. The Stein Line has learned, in fact, that both the Lakers and Bulls registered trade interest in Watson leading up to the in-season deadline for deals on Feb. 5, although it must be noted that Chicago’s front office will soon have a new lead voice after the recent ouster of former Nuggets executive Artūras Karnišovas.”
Watson seems to fit the profile of the type of two-way wing the Lakers need in order to become championship contenders. He’s a lean 6-foot-8 and can play both forward positions, as well as even the off-guard position, and he has ample athleticism and quickness, in addition to a seven-foot wingspan.
The 23-year-old is originally from the Southland and played one year of college basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles, so the hope is that he’ll want to return home on a reasonable contract that wouldn’t hamper the Lakers moving forward — if he’s the right player for them.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Report: Lakers ‘registered trade interest’ in Peyton Watson
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
