There has been widespread speculation on what the Golden State Warriors will do this summer with 2020 second overall pick James Wiseman for weeks, but now, according to The Athletic senior NBA columnist John Hollinger, the Dubs are almost certainly going to move the big man.
There is a widespread expectation that the Warriors will use the No. 7 pick and James Wiseman to immediately upgrade the roster, @johnhollinger writes.
One name to watch: Pascal Siakam.
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The higher ups with Golden State have been saying for a while that they were committed to the future and development of Wiseman, but rumors will be out there no matter what is said. One recent factor that could lead to either a change of heart, or at least more of an open mind in moving Wiseman, is the big win the Dubs had on the night of the Draft Lottery.
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With a pair of lottery picks in their pocket, Golden State has more flexibility to move a valuable commodity like Wiseman for a solid return or like Hollinger reported, Wiseman and their first pick in the July draft for an all-star and NBA-champion like Pascal Siakam.
Steph, Klay and Draymond Are All Over 30 Years Old
GettyGolden State Warriors Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
If a swap of Wiseman and the seventh overall pick for Siakam were to go through, the Warriors would be getting a bit older. Wiseman is just 20 years old and hopefully has a long NBA career ahead, as does whoever is selected at seventh overall. Siakam – while he’s certainly no Udonis Haslem at 41 years old – is 27, and was a late developer after moving from his native Cameroon at 16 years old and being drafted by the Toronto Raptors when he was 22.
After spending his first two seasons in the league mostly coming off of the bench, Siakam exploded onto the scene in 2019, earning the Most Improved Player of the Year award, while helping the Raptors defeat the Dubs in the NBA Finals for the franchise’s first-ever title. In the pandemic-riddled 2019-2020 campaign, Siakam earned second-team All-NBA honors and his lone All-Star berth, before being limited to 56 games – his lowest since his rookie year – this past season.
It was reported earlier this month that Siakam would be sidelined for approximately five months after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder. That would put Siakam possibly on track to return to play in early-to-mid November, which is almost one month after the beginning of next season.
With Stephen Curry at 33 going on 34 years old, an injury-recovering Klay Thompson at 31, and Draymond Green being the “baby of the bunch” at 31 – 24 days younger than Thompson – adding Siakam coming off an injury could be too risky. The other view of course is that time is running out on the prime of Curry, Green and possibly a return-to-form Thompson, so adding the Cameroonian gives the Dubs a good shot at one more title run.
Would Adding Siakam Make the Dubs a Title Contender?
GettyToronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam during Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
With all due respect to head coach Steve Kerr, Steph, Draymond, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Kelly Oubre Jr. and others, the last time Golden State was a real championship contender was two years ago. In many minds, what’s even more important than Wiseman’s sophomore season, or what the Warriors do in the NBA Draft, in terms of getting back to being a title-contender, is the healthy return of Thompson.
With some combination of Steph, Draymond and Klay though, would the addition of Siakam – and loss of Wiseman and the seventh pick – make the Dubs the favorite in the west? It’s obviously much too early to make that kind of proclamation, but it certainly gives the team more playoff experience – not they need much more.
A healthy Siakam could only benefit the Dubs next season. Before struggling with injuries towards the end of this past season, “Spicy P” was averaging a career-high 35.8 minutes per game, while also posting bests in free throw makes (4.4), attempts (5.4) and percentage (82.7%) per contest.
He was also putting up career-highs in offensive rebounds (1.7), assists (4.5) and steals (1.1) per game, while averaging 21.4 points per game. Add in his high-energy and fiery playing style, and Siakam could be worth the gamble.
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Warriors Expected to Use No. 7 Pick & James Wiseman to Upgrade Roster