Warriors trade James Wiseman in multi-team deal with Hawks, Pistons

The Warriors are giving up on their once-heralded top pick James Wiseman.

In a multi-team trade that was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Golden State is shipping off the former No. 2 overall pick to the Pistons.

As the third team in the deal, the Hawks will receive defensive-minded wing Saddiq Bey from the Pistons. Bey will add to a Hawks core that includes Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.

Kevin Knox, who played for the Pistons this past season, was traded to the Warriors, who subsequently sent the former Knicks lottery pick to the Blazers for five second-round draft picks. The complicated deal also involved Gary Payton II going from Portland to Golden State.

The 21-year-old Wiseman, who was picked by the Warriors in the 2020 NBA Draft, was renowned as a 7-foot big man who could stretch the floor. 

The former No. 2 pick, however, didn’t get much playing time in college after being disqualified from playing for the Memphis Tigers, leaving him as a project piece for whatever team picked him up.

During his time in Golden State, Wiseman suffered a multitude of injuries and he hasn’t played a full season during his time in the NBA. He missed the entirety of the Warriors’ 2022 NBA Championship run after tearing his meniscus.

Wiseman was normally slotted behind Kevon Looney – and logged 18.3 minutes per game during his time with the Warriors. Things got even worse for Wiseman when he was placed in the G-League in November. His stats were underwhelming, too, especially for such a high draft pick, averaging 9.9 points and five rebounds a game.

With the tanking Pistons, Wiseman may get expanded playing time and be able to reach his full potential.

The Hawks acquiring Bey bolsters their defense and adds another strong shooter onto a team stacked with them.

Atrlanta, currently hovering at 27-28, lands in the bottom half of the NBA in defensive rating, and adding a 3-and-D piece like the 23-year-old Bey gives the team much-needed help on both sides of the floor.

Bey is averaging 14.8 points per game on 34.5 percent shooting from beyond the arc for the season.