The latest move by the Denver Nuggets has raised a much bigger question than the one about what the team received in return. Their massive trade exception sounds useful on paper, but operating above the second apron severely limits its use. That makes moving Peyton Watson even harder to understand. The franchise is giving up one of its few young, athletic players with room to grow at a time when Nikola Jokic needs more help, not less.

That is why the warning surrounding the Joker’s future feels particularly concerning.

“And I think we’ve seen the last of Nikola Jokic in the finals,” said Kelvin Washington of The Odd Couple podcast. “And some of it’s not his fault, as you just mentioned. Some of it’s the league where it’s set up now with this second apron, and you’re hamstrung into what you can do and who you can sign.

“I mean he (Watson) was giving you 15 points a game in the 54 games that he played. So you got a guy giving you nice punches, as you mentioned, young only, going to get better.”

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Some of Denver’s problems have nothing to do with the three-time MVP. But the Nuggets have also made decisions that have gradually weakened their supporting cast.

Watson was exactly the type of player modern contenders need. He averaged 15 points per game across 54 appearances last season, while recording 2.0 combined steals and blocks and shooting a career-best 41.1% from three. At just 23, he represented one of Denver’s clearest paths to internal improvement. Instead, the Nuggets moved him.

That continues a troubling pattern. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope left after helping Denver win the 2023 championship, while Bruce Brown has also come and gone. Now Watson is gone, too. Jonas Valanciunas and Tim Hardaway Jr. are no longer with the team, further weakening a bench that already struggled to support Nikola Jokic during his minutes off the floor.

The replacements do not exactly inspire confidence. Spencer Jones offers defensive versatility and outside shooting, while Lonnie Walker and Alpha Diallo bring EuroLeague experience. Those additions could prove useful, but neither immediately replaces Watson’s athleticism, defensive versatility or upside.

Then there is Jamal Murray. Denver has continued investing in the Jokic-Murray partnership despite Murray’s significant injury history and uneven postseason production. He missed the 2021 and 2022 playoffs after tearing his ACL, then starred during the 2023 title run. In 2026, he averaged 23.7 points but shot just 35.7% from the field.

For Jokic, that creates an uncomfortable reality. He has already established himself as one of the defining players of his generation, with three MVP awards and an NBA championship to his name. Still, given the level of his individual dominance, ending his career with just one title and relatively few deep playoff runs would feel like a significant underachievement.

That concern has even been echoed by former Nuggets head coach George Karl, who has publicly criticized the franchise for how it has handled the three-time MVP and the roster built around him.

“Some franchises aren’t capable of supporting their legends the right way,” Karl tweeted. “Jokic was on a path to becoming one of the Top 10 players to ever play basketball. That wasn’t realistic in Denver.”

If Denver cannot build a stronger roster around Nikola Jokic soon, his championship legacy could remain surprisingly limited. This could even lead to the Serbian’s exit.