Did The Warriors Give Up On James Wiseman Too Soon?
For years, the Golden State Warriors have had a glaring need at the center position. Kevon Looney has done an excellent job of holding things together in the frontcourt and being the ultimate “glue guy” for this team, yet they still lack size and a true rim-protector on the interior.
This is what the team hoped James Wiseman would be when they drafted him second overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. The Warriors had visions of Wiseman coming in and not only making an impact off-the-bench as a rebounder and shot-blocker, but in time, someone who could really turn into a problem offensively.
Unfortunately, James Wiseman’s time with the Warriors was overshadowed by one injury after another and then when he was finally healthy, Golden State had him working on his game in the NBA G League instead of bringing him off-the-bench early on this season.
Heading towards the trade deadline, there was a lot of discussion around the league being held on whether or not the Warriors would budge on a trade involving Wiseman. Hovering around .500 ahead of the deadline, the Warriors finally gave in and they dealt the young center to the Detroit Pistons in a multi-team deal that brought Gary Payton II back to San Francisco.
Payton has yet to play in a game for Golden State due to a core injury that has been bothering him since the offseason, the Warriors are still struggling and fighting for playoff position and in Detroit, Wiseman has been playing the best basketball of his career.
Every time James Wiseman takes the floor for the Pistons, Warriors’ fans have to be shaking their heads and asking, “Did we make a mistake giving up on this kid?”
There really is no right answer to this question because things got complicated for the Warriors and for the first time in forever, their front-office panicked to make a decision ahead of the trade deadline.
With Golden State, James Wiseman’s role this season and heading into next season was not going to change. He was always going to be behind Kevon Looney in the depth chart and was only going to be utilized for his rebounding abilities and length on the interior.
Offensively, Wiseman certainly had potential in Golden State, but it was limited due to the fact that they always play through their guards in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Playing through their center was something the Warriors were never going to adjust to doing, which is why Wiseman would have only been setting screens on offense and occasionally find himself as the recipient of a Curry lob to the rim.
In Detroit however, James Wiseman has been allowed to play freely because he is a young talent on a young team that is just searching for ways to get better. He’s had the ball in his hands, he's been allowed to play freely on both the perimeter and in the paint on offense and Detroit has been patient with Wiseman instead of trying to make him the final puzzle piece that does not fit in the missing spot like the Warriors were trying to do.
Since joining the Pistons, the 21-year-old center has averaged 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9 percent in 14 games, 12 of which he has started in. Wiseman has also recorded six double-doubles in Detroit and recently recorded a career-high 14 rebounds against the Indiana Pacers on March 13.
The Warriors may have given up on James Wiseman too soon in terms of a development standpoint, but at the end of the day, he was not going to see the same amounts of playing time he has seen with the Pistons and the Warriors had other problems to address.
Wiseman did not fit into what they wanted to do offensively, he was taking up a roster spot and not playing and most importantly, Wiseman’s contract situation is not one that the Warriors were fond of.
Making about $9.6 million this season and then $12.1 million next season, James Wiseman is extension eligible this upcoming offseason and Golden State’s tax bill was already ridiculously high. Factoring Wiseman’s contract and the potential for an extension past the 2023-24 season, the Warriors would have likely had to pay another $100 million in taxes just to keep the young big man around, something that ownership and the front-office did not view as worthwhile.
In fact, just by unloading Wiseman's contract, the Warriors eliminated $57 million from their current tax bill!
Moving on from Wiseman was something that the Golden State Warriors had to do and bringing back Gary Payton II for the former second overall pick could end up paying off, as Payton proved to be a key part of the Warriors championship run last season.
Seeing James Wiseman find success with the Pistons and continue to grow as a young player in the league is fantastic to see, but with the Warriors, he was never going to see these opportunities.
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