Getty James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors remain publicly committed to their plan to mold their young players into a title-contending core for the future, but one insider believes they could be “tempted” to trade in a major piece for some more immediate help.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers have remained steadfast to what they call the “two timeline” plan, which keeps the team in immediate title contention around veterans Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins while also building a future contender around youngsters James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Jordan Poole.
That plan hit some major growing pains this year, as Kuminga and Moody struggled to stay in the rotation while Wiseman was sent to the G League for more playing time. One Western Conference executive said the Warriors could start to think about trading Wiseman for a player who can help with a title run this season.
Warriors Committed to Wiseman’s Development
Speaking to Heavy Sports insider Sean Deveney, the Western Conference executive said Golden State remains committed to Wiseman’s development with the G League Santa Cruz Warriors and has not taken calls on trades — even though the interest would be there if they did.
“If they start taking calls on him, there is going to be interest—as much as he has struggled, he has talent and might perform better in a different system,” the executive said. “It just is a matter of when they decide they need to cut bait there and get someone who can help them now, or if they ever decide that at all.”
Warriors assistant Jama Mahlalela points out what he wants to see from James Wiseman’s stint in the G League
The executive said the Warriors could ultimately be tempted to part with Wiseman if it brought the immediate help they would need to repeat as champions this season.
“That could come this year,” the executive said. “It would be an emergency type of situation, trying to trade him, but with the year Steph [Curry] is having, they have to be tempted to say they need help now and Wiseman is a good trade chip. They would have takers and they could get a guy who would help them to win now, that is for sure. But no one wants to trade a No. 2 pick away because you are in a short-term emergency.”
Warriors Back on Track
At the time Wiseman was sent to the G League, the Warriors were just pulling out from a 3-7 start to the season. They have since gone 8-4, moving back to .500 after a poor start that included eight straight road losses.
While Wiseman has been making the most of his time with Santa Cruz, the Warriors have also seen improvement from some of their other struggling young players. Kuminga has worked his way back into the rotation, and earned some major praise from head coach Steve Kerr for his performance in the team’s 116-113 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on November 29.
Jonathan Kuminga, at 20 years old, went to Steve Kerr recently and sent a message: I’ll try my best, I don’t have to score and I’m going to make an impact.
The change in approach is huge for Kuminga, Kerr and the Warriors
“Best game I’ve ever seen JK play,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Everything he did contributed to making an impact on winning. His defense on Luka [Doncic] was fantastic. He was disciplined, he stayed down, he challenged shots, I think he had a couple of blocks, he stayed patient offensively. He just took the shots that were there, knocked down a big three.”