The Philadelphia 76ers have one of the most top-heavy pay rolls in the NBA, and this fact is bound to make them miss out on a lot of highly desirable commodities in the open market. The front office, thanks to their own undoing, will be constricted to their in-house options moving forward, especially since they tied themselves to those players through overblown deals.
Case in point? Look no further than Peyton Watson, who will be one of the most highly sought players in the open market this summer. The 76ers obviously do not have the financial ammo to go after someone like him, which sucks given that a player of his ilk would have made this team a lot more formidable both in the present and in the future.
Before his injury, Watson was enjoying a breakout season for the Denver Nuggets. He had just returned after missing significant time, and he did not miss a beat. He has been great for his ball club, but his status as an impending restricted free agent does raise some questions about his future in the Mile High City.
Peyton Watson would have been a dream addition for the 76ers
At 6'8, Watson boasts great size for a perimeter operator. He is one of the most malleable defensive assets in the league, and he is someone who can legitimately guard 1 through 4 while also being ragy anough to cover opposing big men in spurts.
Even better, his offensive game has taken a leap this season. He is shooting 41.1 percent from downtown while averaging just a hair under 15 points per outing in 30 minutes a night. His play finishing and ability to punish defenders sagging off of him are night and day compared to previous years.
The 76ers could have definitely used someone like Watson. At just 23 years old, there remains a lot to unpack in his game, and his age fits the timeline of VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, this franchise can only dream about even pursuing someone like him, who is clearly out of their price range at this point in time.
It will be interesting to see if Denver will be willing to potentially go deep into the luxury tax to keep Watson on the roster. They have the ability to match any and all offers for the versatile forward, but if they fail to win the title this season, huge changes could be on the way, and a bidding war for Watson could commence.
Just count the 76ers out, unfortunately.