The Golden State Warriors have had a rollercoaster season after winning the title last year. Through 58 games, Golden State sits in ninth place in the Western Conference with a record of 29-29.
To even further add to the rollercoaster ride, the Warriors’ trade deadline move didn’t exactly go off without a hitch. The four-team trade, sending former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons, saw the Dubs reunite with Gary Payton II. The problem was that Payton had failed his physical, which caused the trade to nearly fall through. Eventually, on February 12, the Warriors elected to move forward and finalize the deal.
Golden State nearly went in a different direction at the deadline, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe.
During the February 14 edition of The Lowe Post Podcast, Lowe reported that the Warriors were interested in Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso.
“I know for sure that the Warriors really wanted Alex Caruso,” he said.
Lowe went on to explain that the two teams never came close to settling on any sort of trade for Caruso, who won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, leading the Dubs to pursue Payton.
Warriors’ Steve Kerr Reacts to James Wiseman Trade
Of course, to land Payton, the Dubs had to part ways with Wiseman, who never really found his footing in the Bay. On February 13, Head Coach Steve Kerr spoke about the move and his feelings seeing the former top pick depart.
“It’s hard on a personal level, because of our affection for James, and the talent level. I was all-in on taking James when we did, I was part of the group, and loved the ability, loved everything we saw,” Kerr said via The Atheltic’s Anthony Slater. “You can’t always foresee the circumstances. At the time we had the worst record in the league, Klay had just torn his Achilles. We didn’t really know where we were as a team. Frankly, we didn’t know we would win a championship just a year and a half later. I think the important thing… is in this league, and in all sports, you have to move forward you can’t look back. You have to move forward and make whatever moves that are necessary to allow you to succeed in the present state of the team and going forward”
Steve Kerr on James Wiseman: “I was all in on (drafting) James when we did. I was part of the group, loved the ability, loved everything that we saw.”
Steve Kerr Wasn’t Able to Give Wiseman The ‘Runway’ to Succeed
Kerr was then asked why he thought Wiseman didn’t work out with Golden State, he cited the fit, but, again had high praise for the young center.
“Everybody here loved James, that’s been a common theme, just our affection for him because of what a hard worker he is, what a great young man he is, just how much he wants it, how committed he is, what he’s been through with all the injuries,” he explained via Slater. “But, I think between the injuries and the inexperience, coming to a team like ours that’s fighting for championships, playing with a group that’s been together for a long time. It was just difficult for me to give James the runway that he needed. He was great every single day when he came to work he had a great attitude and a positive spirit. He’s everything you look for in a young player in terms of his approach and his talent. But, the timing was difficult just given what he needed and where we are as a franchise. I think this will be good for him, to hopefully get a chance to play, make the mistakes he needs to make, and have a runway, and grow and develop into the player he can become. He’s got a lot of ability, and we know he’ll work for it.”
Steve Kerr on why it didn’t work with James Wiseman and the Warriors
“It was just difficult for me to give James the runway that he needed.”
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Warriors ‘Really Wanted’ to Trade for Former NBA Champion at Deadline