The Golden State Warriors made some huge mistakes after their 2022 NBA championship. Instead of going all-in to surround Stephen Curry with the best possible roster, they tried to toe the line between current contention and future success. This “two-timeline” system was a failure. This is best shown by the terrible move of drafting James Wiseman as the number two overall pick in 2020.
The Warriors waited way too long for Wiseman to become a helpful piece. In the end, they traded him for nearly nothing and got back Gary Payton II (a player they could have just signed in free agency the offseason before).
Since leaving the Warriors, things have gotten even worse for Wiseman.
He played a minor role on the Detroit Pistons for a season and a half before joining the Indiana Pacers.
That’s when disaster struck. In his first game as a Pacer, Wiseman tore his Achilles and missed all of the 2024-25 season.
Now, the Pacers are giving Wiseman a shot at redemption.
Wiseman just signed a one-year contract to return to the Pacers next season. With Myles Turner gone and Tyrese Haliburton set to miss all of next season, this seems like a worthwhile gamble for Indiana.
If Wiseman can come back healthy and show some flashes of what got him drafted so high in 2020, this could be a great redemption story.
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Still, the Warriors won’t miss him. He was never meant to play in their read-and-react system. While Warriors fans are surely happy he is getting another shot, they’re equally happy it is on someone else’s roster.
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