The Golden State Warriors decision to move on from James Wiseman over three years ago has been proven the right one given he's now out of the league, but regret over the trade may still have increased this season thanks to the production of a rival player.
The Warriors ultimately reunited with Gary Payton II in the Wiseman trade at the 2023 deadline, but it's easy to forget that the franchise could have had Saddiq Bey instead who is now enjoying a breakout season with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Warriors could have got Saddiq Bey in James Wiseman trade
The initial report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski at the time had Golden State trading Wiseman for Bey, but the deal was then extended to four teams that left the former 19th overall pick heading to the Atlanta Hawks.
Bey left the Hawks for the Washington Wizards in the 2024 offseason, before heading to the Pelicans as part of last summer's trade centered around former Warrior Jordan Poole and veteran guard CJ McCollum.
The Warriors are trading James Wiseman to the Pistons for Saddiq Bey, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023
While Poole has been such a negative that he's now out of the Pelicans rotation, the franchise at least got Bey from the trade who's been one of the biggest positives in another otherwise disappointing season.
The 26-year-old has averaged a career-high 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and nearly a steal in 31.2 minutes per game this season, shooting 45.1% from the floor and 36.7% from 3-point range.
Who knows how Bey's career would have panned out had the Warriors acquired him, and whether he'd still be in the Bay Area at all considering he suffered a torn ACL that saw him miss the entire 2024-25 season.
Looking at it simply, there's no doubt Golden State's current roster could do with a 6'8" forward with size who's a reasonable 3-point shooter on decent volume. Bey also uses his size to be a strong rebounder, and still holds an incredibly team-friendly $6.4 million contract for next season.
Gary Payton II is still providing impact to the Warriors
While many NBA teams would have taken Bey over Payton at the time, and would so again if given the choice right now, the veteran guard has remained with the Warriors and has actually produced some of his better basketball in recent weeks.
Payton had 12 points and three rebounds in the second-half of Sunday's agonizing loss to the Houston Rockets, proving his 12th double-digit scoring game in his last 13 outings on an injury-hit squad.
Perhaps the Warriors are still content with the trade over three years on, but Bey's production this season means you can't help but wonder what may have been had the franchise gone in the alternative direction.