Denver Paid a Future First to Move Into the 2022 Draft
Denver sent JaMychal Green and a protected 2027 first-round pick to Oklahoma City for the draft rights to Peyton Watson, the No. 30 pick, plus two future second-rounders. The deal fit the Nuggets' timeline. Green was a veteran reserve on a roster trying to create more room for younger, cheaper players, while Watson gave Denver a long-term defensive prospect without waiting for another draft cycle. Oklahoma City took the opposite side of the bet, converting a late first and two seconds into another future first for its asset stockpile.
Peyton Watson Became the Piece Denver Was Hoping For
Watson needed time, but the development curve eventually justified Denver's patience. He played only 23 regular-season games as a rookie, then 80 in 2023-24 and 68 in 2024-25. By 2025-26 he had moved into a much larger role, starting 40 of 54 games while averaging 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks. That is real starter-level production from the No. 30 pick, and it is the strongest realized value on either side of the original transaction through this checkpoint.
The Two Seconds Also Stayed Useful
Denver did not simply receive Watson. The 2024 second was later sent to Portland for the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate. The 2023 second became the No. 40 pick, Maxwell Lewis, and Denver used that pick in a larger 2023 draft-night transaction that also involved a separately acquired 2024 first. That move helped the Nuggets get the Nos. 29 and 32 selections used on Julian Strawther and Jalen Pickett. The No. 40 pick should not be credited for that entire return, but it remained a usable trade asset rather than disappearing.
Oklahoma City's Case Still Depends on the Future First
JaMychal Green never became on-court value for the Thunder; Oklahoma City waived him in July 2022. The lasting return is Denver's protected first, which is scheduled to convey no earlier than 2027 and is protected in the top five through 2029 before a fallback second-round outcome. Because that pick is still unresolved, Oklahoma City's side cannot be fully graded as a finished result. The Thunder could still narrow or erase Denver's current edge depending on where that selection eventually lands.
Final Verdict
Nuggets Win — Denver A+, Oklahoma City B+. Peyton Watson developed from a late first-round project into a 2025-26 starter averaging 14.6 points, and Denver also extracted additional utility from the two second-rounders. Oklahoma City got no games from JaMychal Green, but the protected 2027 first is still a meaningful unresolved asset. The grades therefore describe the trade through the current checkpoint, not a forever verdict: Denver has already realized high-end value, while Oklahoma City's best piece has not conveyed yet.