Wild final hour ends with Golden State Warriors rewriting their offseason wrong

The James Wiseman era at the Golden State Warriors is over. The former number two overall pick was traded to the Detroit Pistons before the trade deadline, leaving a frantic final hour where fans went through a vast range of emotions.

It appeared initially as if it was purely a salary dumping move by the reigning champions, leaving a frustrated fan base across social media. The Athletics’ Shams Charania then teased Dubnation by reporting Golden State’s emergence as a suitor for Toronto Raptors’ wing OG Anunoby. In the end, it was an old friend who is making his way back to The Bay.

The Golden State Warriors have essentially traded former number two overall pick James Wiseman for fan favorite Gary Payton II.

Payton returns to the Warriors after an injury-riddled period with the Portland Trail Blazers where he played just 15 games. He was a major part of Golden State’s championship-winning campaign last season, before departing the franchise in controversial circumstances during free agency. Despite holding his bird rights, Golden State chose not to match Portland’s three-year, $27 million offer. Once more, he literally started against the Warriors last night, recording nine points and three rebounds in the Trail Blazers’ 125-122 win.

Wiseman officially departs the Warriors after two-and-a-half years. He makes his way to Detroit — a team that coveted him during his draft year. The initial part of the deal had Saddiq Bey heading to the Atlanta Hawks, with Kevin Knox and five second-round picks coming to the Warriors.

Anunoby to the Warriors was gaining traction over the final hour but never materialized. The San Francisco Chronicle’s C.J Holmes reports that the Raptors asking price for their forward ‘was too high’, adding that Masai Ujiri wanted Jonathan Kuminga and picks among other assets.

With Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle having been traded to the Trail Blazers hours earlier, it became aware that Payton could be moved. In making the trade, Golden State are set to save $37 million over this season and next — Payton makes $8.7 million next season compared to Wiseman’s $12.1 million.

More so than anything, this is a move to rewrite the wrong they made in letting Payton go in the first place. The Warriors could have moved Wiseman to retain Payton during the offseason, but chose to hold faith in the seven-foot big man going into his third season. With over 50 games played and Wiseman not in the rotation, they ultimately felt like they had no choice.

It might not be the best deal Golden State could get, but there’s a sense of familiarity and understanding of who Payton is and what he brings to the system. For a franchise that still holds a plethora of young players and relative unknowns, it could be more valuable than meets the eye.