According to John Hollinger of the Athletic, there’s a belief around the league that the Golden State Warriors are willing to dangle James Wiseman and the seventh overall pick in the 2021 Draft for players who will immediately upgrade their roster. One name to watch, as mentioned by Hollinger, is Pascal Siakam.
The Warriors are built to be contenders next season. Stephen Curry showed out this past season, Draymond Green is still a defensive menace, Andrew Wiggins stepped up, and Klay Thompson will be returning from injury. The pieces are there, so it makes sense that Golden State will look for proven veterans to extend their dynasty.
Let’s take a look at a couple of potential trade scenarios involving Wiseman and the seventh pick.
The Golden State Warriors are in Prime Position for a Major Trade
The Siakam Trade Comes to Life
The trade: The Warriors send Wiseman, Wiggins, and the seventh overall pick in the 2021 Draft to the Toronto Raptors for Siakam, Aron Baynes, and the Raptors’ 2022 first-round pick.
Toronto will have a few major decisions to make this offseason, starting with Siakam’s future. There are questions about his relationship with head coach Nick Nurse and if he’s capable of being a number one option. If Toronto decides to move away from him, this trade is ideal.
Assuming they let Kyle Lowry walk, this leaves the Raptors with a core of Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Chris Boucher, Wiggins, and Wiseman. Toronto will also have a plethora of choices with the fourth and seventh picks of the draft. Lastly, they’ll have a decision to make with Gary Trent Jr. Perhaps they can look to flip Wiggins to open up space for Trent Jr. as well as adding more assets. All in all, this trade leaves Toronto with a strong and youthful core.
For Golden State, it’s all about winning now. A starting five of Curry, Thompson, Siakam, Green, and either a wing or rim protector (depending on what the front office decides) is one to fear. The Warriors vault back into championship contention status with this.
Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets put Their Past Aside
The trade: The Warriors send Wiseman, Alen Smailagic, Mychal Mulder, and the seventh overall pick in the 2021 Draft to the Houston Rockets for Christian Wood, David Nwaba (sign-and-trade), and the Detroit Pistons 2022 first-round pick (lottery protected).
This is all about gathering more youth for the Rockets. Wood is a fantastic emerging player and on a friendly contract, but the Rockets have a way to go until they’re deemed playoff contenders. The wise move here would be to gather more youth and assets.
Wiseman has All-Star potential. The Warriors aren’t looking to trade him because he’s not good enough, but because he doesn’t fit the team’s current timeline. Smailagic and Mulder are younger players, but mostly throw-ins so to say. The seventh overall pick is attractive as it would give the Rockets the second and seventh pick.
Wood steps into Golden State as the de-facto starting center and arguably a better offensive option than Wiggins. Throwing in Wood alongside Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, and Green makes the Warriors a nightmare on both ends of the floor.
Nwaba is a solid role player who can likely earn his minutes off the bench for the Warriors. The Detroit pick is heavily protected, but eventually would be dealt to the Warriors if the Pistons make the playoffs between now and 2027.
The Golden State Warriors Blow Up on Offense
The trade: The Warriors send Wiseman, Kelly Oubre (sign-and-trade), and the seventh and 14th overall picks in the 2021 Draft to the Washington Wizards for Bradley Beal.
This trade certainly enters the fantasy realm. With that being said, it’s a package with players who can contribute right now as well as develop for the future for Washington. For Golden State, they form a complete offensive juggernaut not far off from their Kevin Durant era.
The Warriors would probably try to move Wiggins for frontcourt help if this trade happens, but that’s a situation for another time. Curry, Thompson, and Beal could, and will, put up at least 70-80 points per game between the three. The figure may be higher as well. Sharing the ball may be an issue, but this trio is a championship trio.
Washington, struggling at the center position, gets a potential future All-Star in Wiseman. Daniel Gafford is solid, but Wiseman’s ceiling is a lot higher. Oubre is a strong offensive player and will help Russell Westbrook (unless the Wizards decide to blow up the roster and build for the future). Lastly, the upcoming draft is very deep and the Wizards will hold the seventh, 14th, and 15th overall picks.
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