The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching. By noon on Thursday, we’ll know whether or not young players like James Wiseman and Moses Moody are still part of the Warriors.
The two lottery picks have been mentioned in trade rumors in recent days, as Golden State sits 28-26 heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Spotrac contributor and NBA front office expert Keith Smith joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” Wednesday to give the latest info on rumblings he’s been hearing about Wiseman and the Warriors.
Golden State has generally been quiet at the deadline, beyond its 2020 deal to land Andrew Wiggins in a lost season. The Warriors have also been very patient and supportive with Wiseman during his three-season stint with the organization, where the No. 2 pick is yet to carve out a regular role. Still, Smith thinks Wiseman might still be available.
“I’m getting the scent more over the past few days that they are more open to moving James Wiseman than they ever had been before,” Smith told hosts Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “They look at it and say, ‘We still got our core and they’re pretty good when they’re all together.’ But they’ve been banged-up and they’re in a tricky spot in the standings. They need to do something to shore things up and my understanding is they’re trying to do right by their core guys.”
The Warriors have acknowledged that their window is closing with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, though all three players have been playing at a high level when healthy this season.
Wiseman, the 21-year-old big man, is due to make $9.3 million this season and $12.1 million next season in team options that have been exercised. But according to a recent report by The Athletic’s John Hollinger, keeping Wiseman would actually cost a whopping $131 million for this season and next, when you factor in rising Warriors luxury tax penalties as repeaters. That’s a lot of money for a guy who hasn’t cracked the rotation.
“I think there is a chance we do see Wiseman moved,” Smith said. “But it’s not just gonna be a salary dump move to save a bunch of money. That’s not how they operate. It’ll be using his contract to go get someone helpful to round out that bench.”
Wiseman has appeared in just 21 of 54 games this season while being sidelined with an ankle sprain and spending time in the G League. The rangy 7-footer is an intriguing athlete and great pick-and-roll threat, but is averaging just 6.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 12.5 minutes per game this season. If the Warriors are in win-now mode, they might find a suitor who can send them back a player who’s rotation ready.
So, who should Golden State target in a potential trade before the deadline? Smith named a couple of potential fits.
“A bigger wing that’s a little defensive-minded – that’s certainly one thing to look at – a guy like a Jae Crowder could be that player,” Smith said. “There’s a lot of stuff out there, is San Antonio ready to move on with (big man) Jakob Poeltl or (shooting guard) Josh Richardson? Those are a couple of guys I think could probably help the Warriors to some extent. They could cause a little bit of issues because they’ll both be free agents in the offseason and I don’t know how likely it is of re-signing one of those guys. But if you’re whole goal is, ‘Hey, let’s make another run right now, we’ll worry about future problems,’ those are the kind of moves you can consider, maybe using Wiseman and his contract as the balance headed the other way.”
If the trade deadline passes, keep an eye on the Warriors to acquire a player in the buyout market in the coming weeks, as they still have an open roster spot.
