Golden State Warriors president Bob Myers on Monday said the organization has no plans of trading James Wiseman and expects to have him on the roster for next season.
Wiseman, who was the second overall pick last year, endured a bumpy rookie season with the Warriors. He was in and out of the lineup due to injuries and health and safety protocols, while the team also tried to find how to best utilize his skillset in the lineup.
Given his inconsistent season, speculation has grown that the team could look to trade him at some point.
After falling in the play-in tournament, the Warriors could certainly use some additional help on the roster. Of course, a young player like Wiseman, who projects to have a bright future, could net the team veteran players in a potential trade that can help them win now.
However, Myers does not expect to trade Wiseman this offseason.
I think he can help us. I expect him to be on the team next year. We don’t want to trade James Wiseman. I think he is a tremendous talent. He was put in a position where the guy has, hopefully, taken all of his lumps early in his career. I think he can be very helpful to us in the future and I think he can be helpful in the present. We plan on him being on the team. We are very confident he is going to be a good player and help us win next year.
Wiseman appeared in 39 games for the Warriors this season, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. He finished seventh in scoring average and third in rebounding among all rookies.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has often cautioned that success doesn’t happen overnight, especially at his position. The circumstances of this season certainly didn’t help his transition, but Kerr said the team is committed to helping him grow on and off the court.
He works really hard and our coaching staff did a good job with him. There are certain things I can do better putting him into positions to be more efficient offensively, but that is all part of the process. He has to grow. We have to grow with him. That is all fine; that is how this whole thing works. The difference is next season he’ll have a year under his belt. We will have a year under our belts. We kinda know who we are as a team. We know where we can help him get better and where he can help us as a team.
Wiseman’s season was cut short due to a knee injury that required surgery on April 15 and has been in good spirits since enduring his latest setback. The Warriors will provide an update on his recovery in September, but he is currently on track to be ready to participate in training camp.
The rookie season for Wiseman certainly illustrated that the organization will have to be patient with him. However, with his skills and ability on the court, that may very well pay off for the Warriors in the end.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
Related
Kevin Durant offering advice to James Wiseman on Warriors’ system
Draymond Green got ejected after yelling at teammate James Wiseman
Giannis Antetokounmpo gave Warriors’ James Wiseman his ‘NBA moment’
List
2020-21 NBA Season Awards: Predicting All-Rookie teams, snubs
