James Wiseman’s time with the Warriors has come to an end.
Golden State traded Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons as part of a three-team deal that includes the Atlanta Hawks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday about an hour before the noon PT trade deadline.
The Warriors reportedly received forward Kevin Knox and Saddiq Bey from the Pistons. Golden State flipped Bey to the Hawks for five second-round picks.
Wiseman’s career with the Warriors has largely been a disappointment as the 7-footer has been hampered by injuries and, when healthy, struggled to fit into the Warriors’ motion offense.
After the Warriors picked him No. 2 overall in the November 2020 draft, Wiseman played 39 games the following season, including 27 starts, before a meniscus tear sidelined him in April 2021. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over 21.4 minutes per game, shooting 51.9% from the floor. His struggles meshing with Golden State on offense were on display, as Steve Kerr eventually adopted more direct pick-and-roll actions involving Wiseman.
That knee injury ended his 2020-21 season and setbacks kept him out for all of the 2021-22 season.
Wiseman returned this season, playing 21 games off the bench for the Warriors but never appeared to adjust to the speed of the NBA game, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game. He bounced back and forth between the NBA team and the Warriors’ G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. In recent weeks, he had remained with the NBA team but did not see time in the rotation.
