With the NBA’s offseason well under way, only three restricted free agents—Jalen Duren, Bennedict Mathurin and Peyton Watson—have yet to secure new deals.
Watson’s Future Tied to Denver’s Cap Sheet
The Denver Nuggets must decide whether to match Spencer Jones’ two-year, $12 million offer sheet by tonight. If they keep Jones and re-sign Watson to a contract projected to open at $23 million in 2026-27, Denver’s payroll would climb to an estimated $246 million. That figure would place the club above the second tax apron of $221.7 million and trigger an approximate $231 million luxury-tax payment. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Nuggets have paid $53 million in tax penalties since the 2002-03 season.
Denver continues to signal confidence in retaining Watson. The Bucks, Clippers and Hawks have shown interest, but all three are over the salary cap and would need a sign-and-trade to acquire the 23-year-old wing.
Mathurin Waiting on Clippers Investigation
Mathurin’s negotiations with the Los Angeles Clippers remain on hold while the NBA investigates allegations that the team circumvented the salary cap through a no-show endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard. The probe has also delayed the pending trade that would send Leonard back to Toronto. No other clubs have been publicly connected to Mathurin.
Duren’s Leverage Limited
Pistons center Jalen Duren, who turns 23 in November, is coming off an All-Star season that included a second-place finish in Most Improved Player voting and a spot on the All-NBA Third Team. That honor made him eligible for a maximum contract starting at 30 percent of the salary cap, yet Detroit has reportedly not offered even the standard 25 percent max.
Duren met with the Lakers and Kings early in free agency to explore sign-and-trade options, but Los Angeles addressed its frontcourt by acquiring Walker Kessler, and Detroit showed no interest in Sacramento’s proposals involving Domantas Sabonis. With no team holding the necessary cap space to extend a max offer sheet, Duren’s primary leverage is accepting his $9.6 million qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer—a financially risky move.
In a poll of 13 rival executives conducted by The Athletic, none considered a four- or five-year deal at 25 percent of the cap to be fair value for Duren.
The restricted free-agency process could stretch deep into the summer if rival teams continue to shy away from tendering offer sheets.
Source: HoopsRumors
