James Wiseman has surprisingly got another NBA opportunity, and he might have former Golden State Warriors teammate Kevon Looney to thank for his move to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
The Knicks held interest in Looney at the start of free agency, only for the veteran center to snub a move to the NBA champions in favor of a one-year, minimum contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Kevon Looney's Knicks snub may have revived James Wiseman's career
According to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points in July, Looney chose the Lakers over the Knicks because of the greater chance to contribute in the rotation behind Walker Kessler, and to be a veteran leader for a team led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
It left the Knicks to pivot to another veteran big in Andre Drummond, but their moves on Wednesday suggest they're still looking for more center depth beyond the 33-year-old and All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Not only have New York brought in Wiseman on a training camp contract after just five games in the past two years, but they've also added eight-year NBA veteran Drew Eubanks following 42 games with the Sacramento Kings last season.
Wiseman and Eubanks are just two players who will enter Knicks training camp vying for a roster spot, with the franchise also signing John Konchar, Bruce Brown and Ochai Agbaji in a late free agency outburst.
Wiseman, Golden State's former second overall pick, still appears up against it to make New York's opening night roster, but it's nonetheless an exciting and unforeseen opportunity after it looked as if the 25-year-old was destined for a move to Europe to continue his professional career.
James Wiseman and Kevon Looney have shared history
Looney still sits as Wiseman's second-most tenured teammate of his career, with the pair playing 60 games together at the Warriors which ranks only behind the 80 games Wiseman played with former Detroit Pistons lottery pick Jaden Ivey.
The former Memphis product famously won a starting role over Looney at the beginning of his rookie year in the 2020-21 season, doing so despite missing all of training camp due to being in Covid-19 protocols.
Three and a half years after Wiseman was traded to the Pistons, he and Looney have been linked together again given the Knicks interest in the pair this offseason. Whether they can have meaningful impact on their respective teams remains to be seen given where they're at in their careers.
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