Getty James Wiseman is defended by Markieff Morris during a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets.
Just like that, the up-and-down Golden State Warriors bear the look of a force to be reckoned with in a wide-open Western Conference. After hanging around at or just below the .500 mark for most of the 2022-23 campaign, the team has suddenly won four straight games to move into the winning side of the won-lost ledger.
Moreover, the team still has four games left in its current homestand with 2022 NBA All-Star Andrew Wiggins likely returning later this week.
With all that being the case, and the Steph Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green core eyeing another title, team president Bob Myers must seriously consider doing what he can to make the most of the Dubs’ championship window before it closes.
To that end, Bleacher Report‘s Andy Bailey believes the time is nigh to swap out former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman for a veteran difference-maker.
B/R: The Warriors Need to Trade James Wiseman
Bailey just rang in the new year with his list of the players on each of the Association’s 30 teams who “need” to be traded in 2023. For the Warriors, he went with Wiseman, who has actually shown some signs of progression recently with his G League output and a 30-point game against the Brooklyn Nets.
“Some rebuilding team might still be willing to take a flyer on a seven-footer who can get up and down the floor as well as Wiseman… And if a veteran who can help the Golden State Warriors now is offered, they should think about it,” wrote Bailey.
“Stephen Curry already seems to be defying the basketball gods’ timeline for most superstars, but his window for title contention won’t stay open forever. Trading some of the young players, like Wiseman, for win-now pieces makes a lot of sense.”
There’s definitely something to be said for what Bailey is proposing. For all the potential that Wiseman has, he has consistently been a negative-impact player for the Dubs. In just 241 minutes of action through the first half of the season, Wiseman is a team-worst minus-118 on the court.
So, if competing before Golden State’s dynastic core ages out is the goal, giving him the reps he so desperately needs is counterproductive.
Gary Payton II Set to Make Hardwood Return
Three days after receiving his championship ring before the Chase Center crowd, former Warriors guard and lockdown ace Gary Payton II is finally set to debut with his new club, the Portland Trail Blazers. Payton’s name was absent from the latest injury report for the Blazers’ home bout with the Detroit Pistons.
In other words, he’s finally available to play for head coach Chauncey Billups after having returned to practice several weeks ago.
Payton was shelved as a result of offseason abdominal surgery. It had been expected that he’d be ready for the start of the regular season but, clearly, that timeline proved to be overly optimistic.
Payton joined the Blazers on a three-year, $26.1 million contract over the summer. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest over 71 appearances with the Warriors in ’21-22.