Since he was selected as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, rumors have been continuously swirling around James Wiseman and his future with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors may have said on numerous occasions that they consider Wiseman as part of their long-term plan, but most people believe that his departure from Golden State is inevitable.
With the team currently in a win-now mode, there are growing speculations that the Warriors would consider using Wiseman as a main trade chip to improve their roster before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Warriors' Best Trade Chip
In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report included Wiseman on the list of the 10 best trade chips in the NBA right now. Wiseman indeed has the potential to become one of the most dominant big men in the league, but the Warriors may no longer have the patience to wait for his full development.
Instead of keeping him on their roster, Buckley believes that the Warriors should strongly consider trading Wiseman for "ready-to-contribute help."
"Curry needs more ready-to-contribute help, and Wiseman is the key to go find it," Buckley wrote. "Long-term rebuilders should be drooling over his best-case scenario, which could feature focal-point scoring and elite paint protection."
Trade Targets For The Warriors
Wiseman may have gone through plenty of ups and downs in his rookie season, he has the potential to become an All-Star in the league. Once he becomes officially available on the trading block, he’s highly expected to receive strong interest from teams that have disgruntled superstars and want to undergo a full-scale rebuild.
Some of the potential trade targets for the Warriors in the deal involving Wiseman include Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors, and Christian Wood of the Houston Rockets.
No Rush
The Warriors don’t need to rush finding a trade partner for Wiseman. Though Klay Thompson is yet to return from an injury, the Warriors are already establishing an impressive performance in the 2021-22 NBA season. As of now, the Warriors are on a six-game winning streak, sitting in the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference with a 10-1 record.
The Warriors obviously don’t need help to survive in the regular season. However, when the real battle begins in the playoffs, having a fourth superstar to pair with Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green would give Warriors more confidence in beating other powerhouse teams in a best-of-seven series.
Injury Recovery A Priority
Before the Warriors could use Wiseman as a trade chip, they would first need to make sure that he’s 100 percent recovered from an injury. As of now, Wiseman is yet to play a single game in the 2021-22 NBA season. However, it may only be a matter of time before he rejoins the Warriors on the court.
According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, Wiseman has already been cleared to practice last week and has no setbacks in his injury. The former lottery pick is expected to join the Warriors when they leave for their two-game road trip on November 27.
]]>The Inquisitr
