James Wiseman Gets New NBA Opportunity Warriors Fans Won't Believe

Golden State Warriors 2020 No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman has a new NBA opportunity.

The 6'11" center has signed an Exhibit-9 contract with the defending champion New York Knicks.

Wiseman will compete in training camp with the hope of landing one of New York's two remaining standard contract roster spots.

After losing Mitchell Robinson to the Celtics in free agency, the Knicks have just two centers on the standard contract roster in Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond.

New York also signed center Drew Eubanks to an Exhibit-9 contract. It's possible that the winner of the Eubanks-Wiseman camp battle will make the 15-man roster.

Can Mike Brown Unlock Wiseman's Potential?

Knicks coach Mike Brown was with the Warriors for Wiseman's first two seasons. He saw firsthand what Wiseman could bring to the table and what was holding him back.

Can Brown coach Wiseman into an NBA rotation player after Steve Kerr couldn't?

In fairness to Kerr and the Warriors, Wiseman spent time with the Pistons and Pacers after his 2.5-year Dubs stint, and the results weren't promising.

In 1.5 years with the Pistons, Wiseman averaged 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, but his impact metrics were substandard.

Per Cleaning the Glass, his net ratings were as follows:

Rookie season with Warriors: -17.8 (2nd percentile)
Second healthy season with Warriors: -22.8 (1st percentile)
First half season with Pistons: -13.9 (5th percentile)
2023-24 season with Pistons: -8.5 (15th percentile)

Over two seasons with the Pacers, he played just five games.

Wiseman has struggled mightily in the NBA, but he's still just 25 years old. For a player his size, he has above-average athleticism.

He'll probably never become the type of offensive star many thought he would, but one would think he could provide energy for his team with offensive rebounds, dunks and blocks.

Robinson is the type of player Wiseman should be studying. Robinson's defense and offensive rebounding were a key part of New York's 2025-26 title run.

Wiseman Draft Miss Was Crucial Part of Warriors' Fall

As I wrote here, the decision to draft Wiseman and not trade him until his value was at its lowest contributed greatly to the fall of the Warriors dynasty.

Now, it must be said that a draft pick who ends up being a bust always gets way too much fanbase vitriol. The Warriors front office needed to realize that Wiseman wasn't worth a top-two pick. Joe Lacob and Bob Myers deserve the bulk of the blame for the 2020 draft debacle.

By all accounts, Wiseman worked hard, but for a variety of reasons—including injuries—it didn't work out with the Warriors. Here's hoping that Wiseman carves out a long, productive professional career.

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