Former Detroit Pistons deep-bench center James Wiseman has ditched that lowly club to join its Central Division opponents, the Indiana Pacers.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the 7-foot big man has inked a two-year deal with the rival club. The sticker tag has yet to be revealed, but given his market and production thus far in his brief career, it seems likely to be a veteran’s minimum deal.
After appearing in just three games with the Memphis Tigers in 2019-20, the 23-year-old big man was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, ahead of future All-Star point guards LaMelo Ball (the No. 3 pick by the Charlotte Hornets) and Tyrese Haliburton (the No. 12 pick by the Sacramento Kings).
Though Wiseman did technically win a title with the Warriors in 2022, his recovery from a torn meniscus actually kept him out of the playoffs entirely that year. He was eventually flipped to the Detroit Pistons at the February 2023 trade deadline in a four-team deal that also included the Portland Trail Blazers and Atlanta Hawks.
In that convoluted trade, the Atlanta Hawks obtained forward Saddiq Bey from the Pistons. The Trail Blazers flipped guard Gary Payton II, Wiseman’s teammate on the 2022 champs who had departed in free agency, back to Golden State. Atlanta shipped out its 2026 and 2028 second-draft picks to the Warriors, too. The Pistons flipped Kevin Knox to the Trail Blazers, while Atlanta flipped the more favorable of their own or the Brooklyn Nets’ then-future 2023 second-round selection, in addition to the Hawks’ 2024 and 2025 (protected to just picks 41-60) second-rounders, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2026 second rounder (via Golden State) and the Warriors’ 2028 second-rounder.
Wiseman, who had allegedly been a top draft prospect by Detroit a few years prior, got a new opportunity to prove his mettle with a rebuilding franchise. He got to start in 22 of his 24 games with the Pistons to close out that season, and averaged 12.7 points (on 53.1 percent shooting from the field), 8.1 rebounds, 0.8 blocks and 0.7 assists a night. But in 2023-24, competing with Marvin Bagley for Jaden Ivey’s backup minutes, Wiseman saw his output significantly reduced on the worst team in the league (the Pistons finished at 14-68 on the year).
In 2023-24, Wiseman averaged a scant 7.1 points on 61.3 percent field goal shooting, 5.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 blocks across 63 games (six starts), logging just 17.3 minutes per.
Now, he joins an Indiana Pacers squad that finished 47-35 on the year but made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, thanks in part to some unlucky injury breaks for the Milwaukee Bucks (the Pacers’ opposition in the first round) and New York Knicks (Indiana’s second round nemeses). Indiana no doubt hopes Wiseman can replace another former lottery pick, Jalen Smith, as the backup behind 3-and-D center Myles Turner.
Wiseman remains a stellar athlete, but he has yet to prove why he was worth Golden State blowing a lottery pick on his talent. Already plagued by injuries in his young career, he remains a high-upside risk for any team that will have him, but perhaps under the tutelage of Indiana’s disciplinarian head coach, Rick Carlisle, Wiseman will be able to harness his talents while preserving his body in a reserve role.
Uncommon Knowledge
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