Former no. 2 overall pick James Wiseman was once thought to be the future of the Golden State Warriors. Coming out of Memphis, he looked like the perfect fit for the Warriors, and the team had every belief that he’d be one of their leaders in the future.
Unfortunately, that vision hasn’t panned out so far. After averaging 11.5 points in 39 games his rookie season, Wiseman missed the entire next season with a knee injury.
During this campaign, James finds himself on the edge of exile amid what has been a highly disappointing performance. Still, his value may not be as low as everyone thinks.
As one NBA scout told Ric Bucher, he believes Wiseman has more upside than even Jazz rookie Walker Kessler, who has been one of the surprise stories of the season.
“The Warriors’ willingness to move Wiseman appears to be two-fold, an Eastern Conference GM said — he isn’t ready to help them win a title, and they feel they’re doing him a disservice because he needs playing time to develop. A deal with the Jazz would make sense for both sides except that Utah already has two young big men they like: Lauri Markkanen and rookie center Walker Kessler,” wrote Bucher. “I asked three scouts who they’d rather have, Wiseman or Kessler. Two of the three said Kessler. The third: ‘Kessler now, Wiseman in 2024,’ his belief being that Wiseman has the greater upside. All of which suggests that while it may be quiet now, there is still potential for a hectic trade deadline. Patience, it would appear, is indeed the name of the game. For now.”
NBA scout believes James Wiseman has greater upside than Walker Kessler: https://t.co/SXr5jmwZYP
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 22, 2023
The NBA trade market has been eerily quiet of late, and it’s no secret that the number of sellers is in short supply right now. But if the Warriors decide they want to improve their roster, trading Wiseman may be the best way to do it.
Will The Warriors Move On From Their Young Core?
Every team in the league is monitoring the situation in San Francisco right now — and for good reason. At just 23-23 on the season, the Warriors have not been playing good basketball. There is pressure building for them to make a move and trade some of their young players for more established veterans.
For now, the Warriors are resisting such a drastic move, but time is running out for them to make changes to the roster. if they don’t act before the deadline, they’ll be stuck with this crew for the rest of the season.
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