The Warriors want to improve their roster this offseason, but it's very unlikely they sacrifice last year's No. 2 overall pick to do so, according to Bob Myers.
"We don't want to trade James Wiseman." pic.twitter.com/09Szld02kD
— KNBR (@KNBR) May 24, 2021
Bob Myers says they don’t “want” to trade him, but should they have picked him in the first place?
That’s the question Warriors beat writer Connor Letourneau was asked by Brian Murphy on KNBR Tuesday morning, a day after Golden State’s general manager said the organization is unsurprisingly committed to 20-year-old center James Wiseman after an uneven rookie season.
“I’m not ready to say that yet, but given what we’ve seen so far I would personally rather have LaMelo Ball or Tyrese Haliburton,” Letourneau said. “My issue with James, and I think, look, we all know James is a hard worker, he’s a great kid. I did a big series on him, got to know his family, he led us into his apartment, he’s a great human being.
“But my issue with him is his fit with this system. He’s not a passing big, he’s never been a passing big. The Warriors are at their best, Steph is at his best, when he’s playing alongside a big man who can read the floor and react, and make those dribble handoffs and outlet passes and those types of things that Zaza Pachulia could do, David West, Andrew Bogut. When they don’t have a passing big to run the offense through as somewhat of an offensive fulcrum, they have to change how they play.
“The numbers with James and Steph on the floor together were abysmal. Steph was significantly worse whenever James was on the floor. Look, some of that can be chalked up to a learning curve but I honestly don’t think that you become a great passer. You don’t suddenly just develop a feel for the game. I wonder if he has a natural feel for the game. I think he’s going to be a great player in this league, I’m just not sure he’s a great fit alongside Steph and in this system.
“LaMelo Ball wouldn’t have been a perfect fit either. I actually think Tyrese Haliburton would have been.”
The Wiseman situation is complicated for a number of reasons. He’s undoubtedly talented, and flashed some of that while scoring the basketball at a decent clip (Over 11 points in around 21 minutes per game). He didn’t do a whole lot else very well, however, and did not fit well with Curry when they shared the floor. The Wiseman-Curry combination had a net rating of -8.1. For comparison, when Kevon Looney shared the floor with Curry, the team’s net rating was 10.7.
It also appears Wiseman is on a different timeline than the Warriors’ core, quite a few years away from being a really good player on a championship contender, which Golden State believes they will be next year. Yet, it’s hard to know how much to make of this, considering Wiseman’s age, the fact that he barely played in college and that his rookie season was consistently derailed due to injury and COVID issues.
Then there’s the fact that not all of Wiseman’s struggles were necessarily his fault. The Warriors seemed to be unsure of how to use the 7-foot-2 center, probably because they’ve never had a player like him during the Kerr era. Both Wiseman’s role in the lineup — starting, then bench, then starting again — as well as his role within the offense, fluctuated more frequently than was ideal. Injuries, especially the torn meniscus at the end of the season, made his situation even murkier.
“I do think the Warriors made some mistakes this season on how they handled his development and how they handled his season overall,” Letourneau continued. “A lot of mixed messaging, moving him around in the rotation was not beneficial for someone young like himself and it felt like they were just starting to figure out how to use him right before he got injured. I think we could’ve learned a lot before his fit if he hadn’t gotten injured when he did. They needed pick-and-rolls, he needs to work off screens and things like that to do his thing and unleash his talent, and they didn’t start doing that until right before he got hurt.”
Ultimately, Letourneau doesn’t believe the Warriors will trade Wiseman unless it’s for an established star who could help Golden State win a title next year (Bradley Beal and Domantas Sabonis were floated as players who would fit that mold). But the questions about Wiseman’s fit and future will persist, fair or not, until he proves he can contribute consistently with the Warriors’ core.
Listen to the full interview below.