The future of former Golden State Warriors' center James Wiseman is up in the air after the former second overall pick concluded his fourth NBA season on Sunday.
Wiseman, who was traded by the Warriors to the Detroit Pistons last February, had 21 points and 17 rebounds in 40 minutes of game time against the San Antonio Spurs. Yet that's unlikely to shift his value heading into the offseason where he's expected to get less than his fourth-year deal of $12.1 million.
After being taken second by the Golden State Warriors in 2020, James Wiseman could be headed towards a minimum contract in the offseason
The 23-year-old's contract was one of the primary reasons the franchise chose to move on last February, with ownership saving millions in luxury tax after the completion of the four-team trade that brought back Gary Payton II.
Wiseman has a $15.8 million qualifying offer which the Pistons are unlikely to offer, leaving the 7'0" big man as an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. According to Piston Powered's Aaron Kellerstrass, Wiseman could be looking at a deal close to the minimum.
"Wiseman will get a contract from someone, but he'll probably have to settle for a shorter deal or one where he is making closer to the minimum. Wiseman had a chance to raise his value on the free-agent market this summer, but it looks like he went the other way."Aaron Kellerstrass
Would Golden State be willing to take a flyer on Wiseman? Absolutely not, regardless of how excited the franchise was on his potential once upon a time. He got his opportunity on a young, rebuilding team and failed to properly grasp it, averaging 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game this season.
Kellerstrass recently listed Wiseman as one of seven Pistons that shouldn't be back with the franchise next season, stating that the former second overall pick is "still bad at the fundamentals of basketball."
Hampered by injury and a lack of playing time in a team with championship aspirations, Wiseman played just 60 games for the Warriors in less than three seasons.