Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Would Warriors Trade James Wiseman to Spurs for Jakob Poeltl?
When it comes to San Antonio Spurs trade assets that aren’t future draft picks, Jakob Poeltl might be their most enticing one.
During the 2021-22 season, Poeltl appeared in 68 games for the Spurs and averaged 13.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. The 26-year-old, 7-1 big man also shot an efficient 61.8 percent from the field.
Given that the Spurs could potentially be entering into a full-blown rebuild this year, trading the six-year veteran for younger prospects with upside could be the way to go. With that in mind, is it plausible that the Golden State Warriors would part with former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to add a more seasoned veteran presence with Poeltl?
NBA Analysis Network believes so. In fact, they offered up a trade scenario that simply swaps Wiseman for Poeltl straight up with no other pieces involved.
“James Wiseman is not your ordinary recent number two pick. We don’t mean that as a compliment, either. Over his tenure with the Golden State Warriors, Wiseman has fallen well short of expectations thus far,” writes James Piercey.
“Don’t make the mistake of writing off his upside on that basis. Wiseman may never be a ball-dominant superstar, but he could still develop into a strong rim protector who provides a semblance of floor-spacing. If he reaches his ceiling, he’ll still be a starter in this league – if not an All-Star … Realistically, (for Golden State,) Poeltl would be likely to earn the starting nod over Kevon Looney in 2022-23. When you’re trying to defend the NBA championship, that’s exactly the type of win-now upgrade you ought to make.”
The Spurs could choose to hold onto Poeltl until closer to this season’s trade deadline, but if a trade like this with the Warriors becomes a possibility, it might be hard for either side to say no.
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