CLEVELAND — The Warriors face the Detroit Pistons tonight at Little Caesars Arena for a reunion with 2020 first-round draft pick James Wiseman.
Odds are Wiseman won’t even touch the court against his former team.
Wiseman hasn’t been playing much in Detroit, with just one appearance in seven games, in what’s been his second chance at a spot in the regular rotation. All the reasons the Warriors couldn’t find a fit for him last season now apply to his role with the Pistons.
It makes the reunion less awkward for the Warriors. Any team that trades away a second overall selection runs a tremendous risk of watching that player develop into a superstar. Truth is, Wiseman’s time in Detroit probably won’t be eliciting any trade remorse from the Warriors’ front office.
In February, when the last-place Pistons acquired Wiseman, they gave him the opportunity to play he wasn’t afforded in Golden State. This season, under new coach Monty Williams, Wiseman entered camp in a competition at the center position.
After continued struggles, Wiseman found himself last on the depth chart behind 19-year-old breakout player Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who was drafted 16th overall in Wiseman’s class.
“It’s a young dude, super talented, he works hard and I’m confident he will be able to figure it out,” Steph Curry said. “And that’s really all you can focus on, not looking back at how it went with us. But knowing he has the mental fortitude and work ethic to figure it out.”
Wiseman and fellow struggling No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley Jr. have had somewhat of a roster battle for the backup center role, the player who would be the more “traditional” big behind Duren and Stewart. Wiseman is losing that battle, too. In his one game this year, he drew four fouls within six minutes.
The Warriors had high hopes for Wiseman. He was the No. 2 pick out of Memphis in 2020 with all the size and touch at the rim the Warriors never had in a young prospect in the Steph Curry era. But Wiseman spent the majority of his two years in Golden State injured and needed more time to grow than the Warriors could afford as they attempted to defend their 2022 championship.
Rehabbing after his torn meniscus surgery in 2021 is where he grew close to Klay Thompson, who was on his way back from Achilles surgery.
“It’ll be great to see James,” Thompson said. “Me and James spent many, many weeks and days together rehabbing. I’m excited to see him, especially as a friend, and I think about him often.”
Statistically, Wiseman was Golden State’s least productive player early last season as the team stumbled to an 0-8 record on the road. Not only were Wiseman’s minutes clunky on both ends of the floor, he struggled to stay out of foul trouble.
It wasn’t working and Wiseman was slated to earn $12 million, and due to repeater taxes, he would cost the Warriors approximately $90 million.
Hoping to get a known entity back on the roster for the playoff push and create more financial flexibility while deep in the luxury tax, the Warriors decided to trade Wiseman at the deadline in a three-team deal that brought Gary Payton II back to Golden State.
Swept under the rug in the heat of the season was the harsh swing-and-miss the Warriors front office took on Wiseman. That second-overall pick opportunity amid a contention window was flushed down the drain.
Wiseman is out of California, but that doesn’t mean his former teammates don’t keep in touch or check in to see how he’s handling his situation in Detroit. Some Warriors coaches often reach out to him through text, often as a voice of encouragement when they see that Wiseman is still fighting for regular minutes.
“They got a lot of talented dudes over there, so I know he’s over there fighting for minutes,” his former Warriors teammate Kevon Looney said. “It’s not going to be easy, or a given to get time over there. But I think he’s going to figure it out.”
Wiseman caught up with old teammates this summer, crossing paths at the Rico Hines private runs in Los Angeles. During the offseason, Looney saw him at his old stomping grounds at UCLA, where the Pistons came to work out together.
The Warriors all hope he finds his footing somewhere because after this year he’s an unrestricted free agent and his future in the NBA is uncharted.
If Wiseman doesn’t find a regular role, the Pistons could certainly trade him. If not, they have the option to extend him a qualifying offer or he’ll become a free agent. The season’s early, but his future is murky given his standing in Detroit.