James Wiseman is oozing with potential. The Golden State Warriors center seems to have a bright future ahead of him. But that hasn't stopped fans and analysts alike from calling for him to be traded (myself included) for some win-now pieces.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob recently spoke out about the possibility of trading the Warriors youngster. He explained why the team is holding a firm stance against potentially shipping out their prized big man.
“We need young players under good contracts to intersperse with what is already the highest payroll in the history of the NBA,” the Warriors owner said. “We have three max contracts … you just can’t keep adding the luxury tax, the repeater. It’s just not possible. So if we’re going to go this route of continuing to run with those guys, which we are, we have to intersperse some young talent and sort of try to bridge a gap between now and the future. And hopefully they can contribute over the next two years (and) intersperse a few veterans in there. And I think that’s the way to win.
Lacob does present a solid point. Although Wiseman is still far from his ceiling, the Warriors definitely need to find a way to add talent around their current core without upsetting their salary balance sheet. Maintaining young assets on rookie contracts is the most cost-efficient way to do so. The Dubs owner cited the potentially Finals-bound Phoenix Suns, who have a solid mix of veterans and young players themselves.
“Look at Phoenix, what has happened this year. They remind me of the 2015 Warriors. A couple of great veterans, Chris Paul and (Jae Crowder). You can’t win with all young guys and you’re not going to win with all old guys because they’re all going to get injured.”
There will obviously be major pros and cons to potentially trading away James Wiseman. But Warriors owner Joe Lacob has made it clear where he stands on the debate, and at the end of the day, it's his opinion that matters.
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