The Denver Nuggets have now parted ways with Peyton Watson, and their former head coach George Karl is sick of what he has been seeing. Watson is the latest key piece the Nuggets have lost since winning the NBA championship in 2023, and Karl ripped them on X for failing to support superstar center Nikola Jokic.
“Some franchises aren’t capable of supporting their legends the right way,” Karl wrote. “Jokic was on a path to becoming one of the Top 10 players to ever play basketball. That wasn’t realistic in Denver.”
Some franchises aren’t capable of supporting their legends the right way.
Jokic was on a path to becoming one of the Top 10 players to ever play basketball.
That wasn’t realistic in Denver.
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) August 20, 2026
It’s hard to say whether Jokic would be on his way to becoming a top 10 player of all time if the Nuggets had done things differently. What we can say for sure is that they haven’t helped the three-time MVP’s chances.
Jokic was at the top of the basketball world when he led the Nuggets to the NBA championship in 2023. Instead of building on that, however, the team took a step back.
The Nuggets let Bruce Brown Jr., a vital role player on that championship team, join the Indiana Pacers in free agency. All they did that summer was re-sign veterans Reggie Jackson and DeAndre Jordan, and bring in Justin Holiday. Retaining Jackson didn’t work out, and they had to give up three second-round picks to the Charlotte Hornets to get him off their books in 2024.
Not long after that, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left the Nuggets and signed with the Orlando Magic. Caldwell-Pope had been a starter for each of the two prior seasons, and they lost him for nothing.
Then in 2025, the Nuggets traded Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cam Johnson. Now, they were praised for this move, as it gave them some financial flexibility. They’d also bring in Brown, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jonas Valanciunas, and were hailed as one of the winners of the offseason. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan.
The Nuggets went 54-28 in 2025-26, but shockingly lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. There was plenty of blame to go around, with even Jokic struggling for once. The Serb averaged 25.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game against the Timberwolves, but shot 44.6% from the field and 19.4% from three. The eight-time All-Star didn’t play up to his standards.
Following that early exit, you knew the Nuggets had some tough decisions to make. Christian Braun’s five-year, $125 million extension, which he signed in 2025, was kicking in, and it was going to make keeping hold of Watson, a restricted free agent, extremely expensive. They would negotiate for quite some time, but failed to agree on terms.
The Nuggets eventually agreed to send Watson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a massive multi-team deal. They only got the Cavaliers’ 2031 first-round pick, the Washington Wizards’ 2032 second-round pick, and Julian Reese (who will be waived) for the 23-year-old, and were ripped by NBA fans.
This is a sign-and-trade for the Cavaliers, who are giving Watson a four-year, $88 million deal. That might not seem a lot, but the Nuggets’ luxury tax bill would have gone from about $68 million to over $220 million if they had given him that deal. They just weren’t prepared for that commitment.
Now, despite losing pieces all these years, the Nuggets were still seen as serious title contenders. That’s not the case anymore. This roster just isn’t good enough now.
Nikola Jokic On Nuggets Trading Peyton Watson
Karl, who coached the Nuggets from 2005 to 2013, feels for Jokic, but what does the man himself think about this latest departure? Well, he was asked about Watson being traded after Serbia’s 90-87 win over France in a friendly on Thursday.
“I’m happy for Peyton; he deserved it,” Jokic said. “We will miss his energy and skill. I don’t think about the season yet; we have to play this, but it’s gonna be okay.”
Jokic isn’t sounding the alarm, at least not publicly. If the 2026-27 season doesn’t go well for the Nuggets, though, then there might be some panic in Denver.
Jokic looks set to become a free agent in 2027 by declining his $62.8 million player option for 2027-28. He will then be eligible to sign a five-year, $359.5 million deal with the Nuggets, and it looks like that is indeed his intention.
Now, Jokic has made it clear he wants to spend the rest of his career with the Nuggets, but could he have some reservations if they struggle next season? They would be hoping not.
Jokic has spent his entire 11-year NBA career with the Nuggets after they selected him with the No. 41 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. He was phenomenal this past regular season, averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.7 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game.
Jokic won the rebounding and assists titles and remains a top-three player in the NBA. He is still great, but the supporting cast is not.
