Peyton Watson on switching agents to Klutch: ‘Big opportunity at hand this year’

With money on the line Peyton Watson has been money from the -point line The fourth-year Nuggets wing was from the corners on a team-leading attempts this season entering their NBA Cup clash with the Spurs on Friday He has registered the two highest-scoring games of his career in the last two weeks and points since taking over for the injured Christian Braun in Denver s starting lineup Those scoring flourishes aren t even the reason Watson received his temporary promotion His special gift coach David Adelman disclosed is the way he guards But when a athlete is in a contract year it doesn t hurt to cash in on the increased playing time by making chosen s Hunting those looks Watson revealed They re high-percentage looks for me So anytime I can make several space for myself in that corner or just kind of get in Joker or Jamal s periphery so they can see me and find me in those spots it s been great for me It s just something that I ve repped out and I know I have to be elite with especially with this crew and the way we space the floor with Joker playing with his back to the basket It just makes my job easier if I m making those shots It makes their job easier as well While Watson s stock has been on the rise he has also made a notable business decision with next summer in mind The -year-old changed representation earlier this month from Excel Sports Management to Klutch Sports Group the mega-agency founded and overseen by Rich Paul LeBron James longtime friend and agent There s a big opportunity at hand this year for me in general on the court and that s something that I ve been taking the the bulk seriously he mentioned when sought about the change At the end of the day playing well is just going to make my agent s job whoever my agent is easier The Nuggets have had several Excel clients on their current and up-to-date rosters including Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray Two seasons ago Watson co-starred with Jokic in a series of commercials for a hotel booking website in a gig made practicable by their shared representation But he also has a past relationship with Klutch Watson who s from Los Angeles and played one season at UCLA stated that Paul represented him in college while NCAA athletes were gaining the right to profit on their name image and likeness Despite the more pronounced connection between the Nuggets and Excel Watson is not necessarily alienating himself with the change Starting power forward Aaron Gordon is also a client of an agent who works for Klutch I just decided to go with Excel to start my NBA career Excel did nothing but great things for me Watson revealed Super supportive It was just more so a business decision on our side It s something that we re happy with because of the aid that Klutch shows Just the love the attention to detail is really next level We re excited to be able to start that path But nothing but love to my previous agent Watson will be a restricted free agent next summer after he and the Nuggets were unable to agree to terms on a contract extension before this season It s a mechanism in the NBA s collective bargaining agreement that traditionally favors the incumbent company Watson s path to joining a new unit without a sign-and-trade will require him to sign an offer sheet the terms of which Denver has the opportunity to match But the Nuggets may not want to retain him depending on what it would mean for their roster payroll Watson notified The Denver Post last month that Denver s preference to stay out of the second tax apron factored into its decision not to extend him during the window to do so After Braun signed a five-year million deal any subsequent extension for Watson would ve made the Nuggets a projected second-apron organization for - Those failed negotiations have been the backdrop for Watson s impressive start to the season With both Braun and Gordon sidelined by injuries for the next meager weeks Watson will not only continue to start he ll also be relied on to finish plays more frequently in a lineup anchored by Jokic the best passer in the sport He s unfailingly been such a willing learner Murray mentioned And goes out there with passion As he gets more content taking that a large number of shots and seeing the ball go through the hoop it s just going to unlock his tournament When he s not spacing in one of the corners opponents have not caught up to his percentage yet as they often help off of him Watson can be worked into the offense as a screener and cutter in Denver s split match That s not where his primary burden is though The Nuggets need lockdown defenders Especially without Braun and Gordon Related Articles Nuggets Mailbag Ranking Nikola Jokic s greatest passes after no-look dime to Peyton Watson Nuggets vs Grizzlies takeaways Jamal Murray steadying the ship for Denver Aaron Gordon out to weeks with hamstring injury Where can the Nuggets turn Why former Michigan star Tim Hardaway Jr is ideal Nuggets role performer If Aaron Gordon misses time with hamstring strain will Nuggets play more double-big He s got really tough responsibilities matchups every night against guys who are paid a lot of money because they re really good Adelman mentioned That s going to be his job If he can figure and pass and make plays offensively that s the cherry on top I expect him to bring great force defensively and rebound the ball Watson is averaging a career-high boards per meeting in addition to his other contributions His -point performance last week in New Orleans was also his first NBA double-double Make no mistake Watson has been pleased with himself But Denver s up-to-date home losses to Chicago and Sacramento are also stuck in his craw I think we ve lost several more games than I would ve liked to with me in the lineup he commented But at the end of the day I just invariably think about where I came from It was a grind to get into the lineup It was a grind to make my name in this NBA But it s just been a journey