The Denver Nuggets ultimately traded Peyton Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for a 2031 first-round pick and a 2032 second-round pick. Many fans were disappointed with this move, especially considering the Nuggets did not get a player in return for their breakout wing, but they reportedly tried to take the player route.

According to Bennett Durando of The Denver Post, the Nuggets had their eyes set on Jaime Jaquez Jr. while in talks with the Milwaukee Bucks, and on Kris Dunn when negotiating with the L.A. Clippers. Of course, neither team was able to get a deal done, but both of these players would have been very intriguing for Denver.

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

Jaquez was traded to the Bucks this offseason as part of the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster, and the reigning Sixth Man of the Year runner-up would have made a lot of sense for the Nuggets. Last season, he averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, shooting 50.7% from the field.

Jaquez brings plenty to the table on both sides of the ball and would have been a worthwhile replacement for Watson as their backup small forward. However, the Bucks never actually made an offer for Watson, according to Durando.

"Sixth Man of the Year runner-up Jaime Jaquez was floated in preliminary talks with Milwaukee, but those conversations were entirely conceptual — the Bucks never made an official sign-and-trade offer, league sources said," the Nuggets insider reported. "Denver would’ve been intrigued by the possibility of adding him if an offer had materialized."

Still, it gives us a clear idea of what they wanted in return for Watson. There would have been one problem with Jaquez's contract, though. He is in the final year of his rookie deal and is due an extension, which the Nuggets would have had to make a big decision about sooner than they would have liked. Depending on the price of said extension, it could have ended up being more worth it to just pay Watson this offseason.

Kris Dunn

Kris Dunn felt like an obvious trade target for the Nuggets this offseason. With the Clippers' rumored interest in Watson, Dunn made complete sense for Denver in any potential trade. However, the Nuggets' desire to get back draft capital and Dunn ruined any talks.

"Kris Dunn was another potential player brought up in conversations with the Clippers, but Denver wouldn’t have agreed to a deal involving the 32-year-old guard without also getting draft capital back from Los Angeles, a source said," Durando wrote.

Of course, now that the Clippers lost five first-round picks to the NBA's ruling on their cap circumvention, we can understand why they did not want to send any draft capital to the Nuggets. Still, adding the defensive-minded guard would've been exactly what the Nuggets needed.

Last season for L.A., Dunn averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.4% from beyond the arc. He would've been the ideal backup point guard for the Nuggets, especially giving him some minutes alongside Jamal Murray in the same backcourt, but they missed out on the opportunity.

Why these trades would've been hard to complete

While the Nuggets can dwell on which players they could've potentially gotten in return for Watson, these deals are much easier said than done. Because of the Nuggets' financial situation, taking back any player in a sign-and-trade for Watson complicated things.

By taking back a player, the Nuggets would've been hard-capped at the second apron. The only way to make things work at that point would be to also send out another player on top of Watson, with guys like Zeke Nnaji and Julian Strawther as the most obvious candidates. Still, at that point, the Nuggets were pleased to at least get a valuable first-round pick in return from the Cavaliers, rather than dealing with the trouble of taking on any extra salary.

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