The Golden State Warriors tried to make it work with James Wiseman; they really did.
The Dubs could’ve had LaMelo Ball but went with the big man out of Memphis instead, hoping he’d become their defensive anchor in the middle of the paint.
They wanted him to start over Kevon Looney at first, but his inefficiency, mental miscues, and injury woes got in the way.
His physical potential was off the chart, and he had some bright moments in the Bay, but the timing just wasn’t right for either party.
They held on to him for as long as they could until it was evident that things weren’t going to work.
Considering that, Warriors owner Joe Lacob shared his thoughts on the situation in a sit-down with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.
I talked to Joe Lacob last night, his first interview since the James Wiseman trade: "As much as I love the guy, I can’t overrule what our basketball ops and our coaches and our players felt was the right thing to do. "https://t.co/yUrfGBtiPG
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) March 3, 2023
He admitted that he really liked Wiseman as a player and a person, but he knew that he couldn’t stand in the way of his team’s decision-makers.
The Warriors are a championship-caliber team; as such, they need guys who can give them valuable minutes in the playoffs; that wasn’t the case with Wiseman at this point in his career.
Some insiders reported that Stephen Curry grew frustrated with the Dubs’ lack of activity in the trade block leading to the deadline.
They couldn’t afford to keep their best player disgruntled and needed to do whatever they could to straighten the ship ahead of the most crucial stretch of the season.
Hopefully, Wiseman will find his way with the Pistons, and who knows? Maybe one day he’ll be back at the Bay.
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