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As the Warriors enter the offseason, the front office faces a perilous situation. You’ve got the trident of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all aging, with no sense of whether Thompson will return to his old self or how long that will take. It was evident that Curry needs serious help, and even the best version we’ve seen of Andrew Wiggins isn’t cutting it.
Nor was James Wiseman, who understandably struggled with inconsistency in a rookie year after playing almost no college basketball, in a season in which he had no training camp, was dealt multiple injuries, and was essentially prevented from ever finding his rhythm.
The real question, though, isn’t about Wiseman’s potential, which is obvious. It’s about whether he can be useful on a team that needs to win now. At the moment, it seems fairly clear that his timeline and the timeline of the Warriors’ aging stars doesn’t quite line up. That’s not to say Wiseman can’t be a useful player, but there are other players out there who could make immediate impacts in ways Wiseman currently can’t.
According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger, Wiseman, and the Warriors’ new seventh overall pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves, are both on the trading block. Toronto’s Pascal Siakam could be a player they have interest in.
“Golden State assured itself of an additional first-round pick when Minnesota failed to land in the top three on lottery night,” Hollinger writes. “The Warriors now have the seventh and 14th picks plus last year’s second overall pick, James Wiseman, and there is a widespread expectation that the Warriors will use No. 7 and Wiseman, in particular, to seek more immediate upgrades to the roster. One name to watch: Pascal Siakam.”
If you’re the Warriors’ front office, you have to ensure that you don’t waste the last years of Stephen Curry. And from Draymond Green’s end-of-season comments, in which he said he expects to be “extremely involved” in the Warriors’ offseason roster decisions, there’s clear pressure on the front office to move now.
When Green was on TNT during the playoffs, he made a statement about the Wizards that drew clear parallels to the Warriors.
“If you’re bringing back draft picks [from a Russell Westbrook trade], that doesn’t help Bradley Beal,” Green said. “Getting draft picks and placing them next to two All-Stars? That don’t work.”
Given Hollinger’s report, it sounds like the James Wiseman era in San Francisco could be over before it even gets started.