Would Golden State Warriors consider backflip trade for fan favorite?
When the Golden State Warriors let Gary Payton II walk to the Portland Trail Blazers in free agency, many frustrated fans unfairly viewed it as the prioritization of a certain recent lottery pick.
The Warriors were unwilling to match the Trail Blazers’ offer of a three-year, $26.1 million deal. Coincidentally, Payton’s $8.3 million salary for this season is most closely aligned with Golden State’s former number two overall pick — James Wiseman.
Would the Golden State Warriors consider trading James Wiseman in a deal to re-acquire fan favourite Gary Payton II from the Portland Trail Blazers?
Some fans were left annoyed that the franchise didn’t muster the money for a genuine championship-winning piece, particularly when an unproven, albeit talented young player is making comparative money. However, the luxury tax implications clearly made it untenable, and Wiseman’s upside still appeared more valuable than Payton as a known commodity.
Is that statement still true though 12 games into the season? Wiseman has had an inconsistent start, now finding himself fully out of Steve Kerr’s rotation. Meanwhile, Payton is returning from injury and is yet to suit up in a Portland uniform.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, host Tim Kawakami floated the possibility of Golden State doing a backflip of sorts by dealing the third-year center for the 30-year-old defensive menace.
"“If you’re the Warriors, and this goes on for three more weeks, would you think about a Wiseman for Gary Payton trade?…Maybe you get a protected first in that two?”"
His co-hosts Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson both assessed that a deal wouldn’t hypothetically happen until just prior to the trade deadline in February, and only if the Warriors were in a situation where they could miss the playoffs. They also struggled to believe that the front office would concede Wiseman as a mistake just yet.
Next. The Golden State Warriors pair crucial to each other’s (and the team’s) success. dark
Golden State have a 5-7 record and sit 11th in the Western Conference, although they’re on a two-game winning streak with Wiseman out of the rotation.