Love how the above analysis just basically says Siakam wouldn’t be a good fit as-is. There are even more red flags, for me, from other angles:
1) Myers already said he’s not trading Wiseman, who is on an attractive/advantageous rookie deal. It’s also not that easy to go out and find a replacement for him, which is probably why Myers went ahead and said what he said in front of reporters.
2) We’re getting more and more indications that playmaker James Bouknight is a “solid” consensus pick at No. 7 and while the proposed trade would occur before the selection is made, it sure feels like giving away a playmaker who would make our second unit one of the most lethal in the league, a starting center and Wiggins — who isn’t THAT far behind Siakam — is a bit rich. More on Bouknight in a future article.
3) This Draft should be deep enough to find some length, athleticism, and defense in the mold of Siakam, probably at 14 if the trend of Bouknight at 7 by the foremost Draft prognosticators remains.
Not just a bit rich -- far too rich. I like Wiggins on this team. I don't like his contract, but apparently, we don't have ways of renegotiating those like they do in the NFL. But he plays good defense, can hit the 3 at a reasonable rate, scores consistently, and has the right ego for his role on this squad. And he's in his mid-20s as well. I'm doubtful that Siakam is a huge improvement, much less that he's worth Wiggins, Wiseman, and the #7. Maybe if we thought that he was the missing piece -- but does anyone really believe that?
I guess “casual” fans might, and I don’t necessarily use that label in a condescending way. Some of those in DubNation, such as Tara who sent us the Google search on Wiseman, just root for the team and were like 😱 after seeing SFGate’s post.
Now, due to the confusion of their online deal with SF Chronicle, sometimes people think they are one and the same and SF Chronicle, with their higher integrity, usually wouldn’t be posting a speculation piece.
I’m just really upset how two sentences from “sources” sometimes turn into misinformation like we saw today. I wouldn’t have asked Gabe to write this if it weren’t for that Google search result (Wiseman is only 20, hope he didn’t search himself today) and fans like Tara posting concerns on social media.
In fact, Gabe was all set to talk about Scottie Barnes and not being able to move up in the Draft when we decided to pivot on this misinformation.
UPDATE: We’re now thinking Moses Moody might be a great fit for GSW. He’s at 8th on NBADraft.net and 10th on BasketballNews.com (the third reliable board being DraftExpress, but I always have trouble finding their board).
Do not give up on Wiseman. I'm old enough to remember the trade of Robert Parrish and the #3 pick (which turned out to be Kevin McHale) for the #1 pick (Joe Barry Carroll). Wiseman's as green as they get but he's only 20 and the Dubs need to play the long game here.
Totally agree, and we’re also working with his lowest point in terms of value currently. If we are gonna eventually trade him, it definitely shouldn’t be now unless some team really will give us a true star.
You don’t think Wiseman should start? I think Looney should be coming off the bench. He’s a small ball 5 and you usually don’t start games playing small ball (ie who’s going to defend Ayton from the tipoff?).
I think he needs a lot of practice time and should start once he knows how to position for rebounds and is strong enough to get them, can anticipate on D, and most of all knows how to operate in Kerr’s offense by learning how to scree & pass and not sucking the ball away from Curry and Klay.
I’m not sure I want Chriss starting against Ayton or Zubac or Lopez or Capela. Love the kid, but 6’9” is 6’9”. I’d prefer Chriss be more like the heir apparent to Looney. Of course we would have to address all of our other needs first. But again, Chriss is solid and super guy IQ, attitude and skill-wise. The 5 is an interesting role to fill in the NBA. When the game slows down in the playoffs, you see that it is still a super-important traditional-like position.
Didnt marcus morris start against ayton yesterday and ayton had his worst game in this series.. small ball with 6'8 or 6'9 floor spacing centres play traditional big men off the floor
I think I get what you mean, but it seems crazy to me to think of Chriss (24) as the heir apparent to Loon (25); they're a year apart? I know Kevon has that hip condition, but wow...
I like Siakam a lot. He is a bona fide paint presence. That said, how much is he worth? Trading Wiggins for him doesn't get much of an upgrade offensively or defensively, plus throw in JW and the #7 pick? That seems an exorbitant amount to pay for Siakam. If we want a PF who can play the paint and pass, we can grab Sengun in the draft, a very heady player who will add value right away and allow JW to either be traded for a win now player, or be developed for the future. There will always be a team that values a big guy and JW will have trade value for at least another year. We keep Wiggins who seems to have cemented his spot and maybe continues to get better with new confidence. No knee-jerk reactions, Myers & Cie!
Agreed on the exorbitant price, haven’t done any research on Sengun yet, and I wouldn’t worry about Myers.
Again, this “rumor” was concocted by the process that we know of as NBA media:
1) Reporter hears something from “sources”, decides to go the “klout” route. And here, it was literally two sentences.
2) Aggregators thirsting for clicks turn two sentences into more words, and twist the headlines so that they tip-toe on the line of altering the truth.
3) Memes galore that feed on the headlines of aggregators, creating another level of aggregation, which further popularizes the topic and alters search results, making the layman equate the headlines served up by Google and others as Wiseman for sure getting traded.
But hey, this is one of LetsGoWarriors’ new purposes!
I think Wiggins has really improved, i like him,, but let's be real. He's never had a positive net rating or BPM in his career. Siakam has only had one negative year outside his rookie year. In 2019, his BPM WAS 10th in the NBA. He eviscerated us at times in the Finals and has a ring to show for it. That is a long ways from "he's getting better!' Siakam is an unequivocally better player right now, and we are talking about optimizing right now. Whether it's worth the price is another story, but Siakam has been superb at the biggest moments, and we still don't know that about Wiggins.
I saw enough of Siakam in the Bubble — in fact, rooted for the guy — to finally conclude that he needed Kawhi as the No. 1 for him to flourish against us in the Finals. I haven’t envisioned him on GSW and being in the same support role, so idk, but I really don’t think Wiggs is that far off.
Maybe you can suggest a trade that makes sense that involves Wiggs and Siakam? Who knows, we might actually agree on that dream transaction.
True, but even "he's a guy who needs to play with a superstar to really be a plus player in high pressure situations" is a quantifiable we just don't have with Wiggins yet. We have a superstar, and two near superstars, seems like the right climate for Siakam. As for trades, I'm a big fan of Boucher's potential and wished we had kept him around. I think he's a player on the come up (his advanced stats are sneaky good), and if we could get something like 7/Wiseman/Wiggins for Siakam/Boucher, we'd have a pretty interesting team. Boucher and Siakam are both still quite young, but also more experienced than any draft pick we'll get at 7 or Wiseman. Of course the only way this is realistic is if Raptors think Wiseman is awesome. They might make us throw in 14 too, which I might be ok with. Will we regret it when Wiseman and Scottie Barnes are stars in 3 years? Probably...Will the titles we win in the meantime make it feel better? Highly likely.
Barnes is going 6th, so idk about any regrets for Barnes. And if you’re that high on Boucher, who are you gonna get to defend the likes of Ayton Zubac Lopez Capela and the bonafide 5s of the elite teams? It’s a lot easier to find a Boucher in this Draft than it is to find a Wiseman anywhere.
With the exception of Capela, none are prolific scorers or rebounders. Warriors have faced Capela in the playoffs with Looney and Dray. Granted, we don't have the height that most teams have but when you have skilled bigs who are not true centers, they have been answers. The Center position is not a focus in Kerr's system. Stretch 5's and 4's are. JW is very far from a defensive presence in any sense except maybe one on one shot blocking. Players like Siakam and Boucher far outplay him. Will he grow into it? Probably, but if we are talking win now, it makes sense to look elsewhere for big guys. We could also pick up a big guy in one of the trash bins if they are keen to get one. Of course, I don't expect the Dubs to seek this trade out. For me it's only fun to think about as the Warriors would instantly become better, there is no doubt in my mind, but the two teams will never agree on this one.
I think your proposal is also too rich. But, I would strongly consider the 2W's straight up for Siakam/Boucher. We keep our 2 picks. This immediately takes care of our front court for years with two quality big players that are win now and young enough for several years. Wiggins is a very good piece for us but I feel he is more easily replaceable. We can focus on a PG & scorer in the draft and pick ups elsewhere. Klay should take care of the lost Wiggins points, Boucher & Siakam, the lost Wiseman points and lack thereof of Dray's output. Works for me and with the addition of Mitchell and Kispert in the draft, I'm thinking a good day's work for Myers & Cie.
I guess we are getting to the point where people are in the camp of keeping Wiseman or not. I just don’t think it’s so easy to find a playoff 5 out there, guys. Think Ayton. That guy is gonna be a problem in the West for years to come,
Siakam will suck in warriors system. He has a low bball IQ. He probably started playing late because africans primarily play soccer. He also isnt a good shooter. I'll trade wiggins and 7th pick for jalen brown but not siakam..
I hope you are correct. As a long time Warriors fan, I want to keep James Wiseman and at least one of the high first round picks in order to build for the long term future.
Siakam was the 27th pick. Warriors should keep their 7th and 14th and pick two players better than Siakam in a year or two, without the salary drain. Keep Wiggins - we like him. Keep Wiseman - he's going to be really good in a few years.
If they do this trade, I'm done as a Dubs fan. Some trades make or break a franchise. This one would rob us of our future. I want to see Wiseman and that #7 pick grow and be the stars of our future, long after Steph is gone.
Gabe’s been quite active with our livestreams on YouTube and our Discord. Pleade consider joining our Discord. It’s only $1/mo right now, will go up to $5/mo as part of the subscription package of this Substack site, maybe when the Draft hits, not sure yet. Signup at https://patreon.com/LetsGoWarriors
The more I think about what to do about the pick situation, the more depressing it gets. All the names that are in serious consideration in the media are flawed, especially in terms of shooting. Those names that could theoretically be available and offer shooting would result in a defensive downgrade if Wiggins was traded and trading Klay is not an option for the FO, partly out of misguided loyalty, partly because nobody would want him.
Staying put is also not really an option as far as winning is concerned, Wiseman is still well away from being a key player for a contender and it's reasonable to worry that he'll never get there without lots of playing time at the NBA level, which we can't really offer. The #7 is an unknown and could easily end up an unsuccessful player. The average #14 pick produces literally less than most any veteran we could get by trading it (8.8/3.0/1.9 per 82games.com).
Right now, it feels like the only realistic way to see the Warriors near the top is to stay where we are, pray for miracle improvements and hope Stephen is okay with being mediocre in the future if said miracles don't come.
Ah well, at least there is one obvious bright side: the next week's could become very interesting.
I have to disagree. The most important addition we are getting is the Hall of Famer Klay. We will have one of the best starting fives in the NBA and perhaps a Top Ten Sixth Man in Jordan Poole. GSW as a destination is very appealing to most veteran free agents. Anyways, I feel it is fruitless to argue with you. Are you “Depressed Warrior Fan” on Twitter?
I'm not that far gone, I don't even have a twitter. :D
I just am concerned that Klay will not be the Hall of Famer, not be the all-star, not the Splash Brother that he once was. ACL and achilles is a very difficult combo to overcome. Of course, I want to be wrong and you have all the permission in the world to dunk on me if I happen to be wrong.
Don't worry, I fully get that. Some Warriors communities are insufferable. Less said about r/warriors (and especially its Discord, where "discord" is indeed the best word for it) the better. That's why I wanted to clarify that I desperately want to be wrong. Probably I'll be out here after Klay's first made three and shout "Oh my god, I was such a fool to doubt this man, Klay GOAT injury comeback don't @ me".
Siakam was at best a borderline negative contract this year. Wiggins+Wiseman+Pick 7 would be a wild overpay (And I desperately want to see Wiseman either playing solely with the backups or traded to prevent another lost year next year.)
Warrior fans are really struggling dealing with the harsh reality - they drafted a bust with their most valuable asset. An asset they desperately needed to maximize in order to give Curry another shot at winning a championship.
Wiseman was amongst the very worst rotation players in the NBA. If you look past his decent counting stats, his impact metrics were in the Anthony Randolph, Javale McGee and Bagley tier, in most areas significantly worse. His feel for the game and basketball IQ are jarringly bad. The eye test confirms how bad he was.
This man couldn't put up positive net ratings in lineups WITH Curry. The only players with a worse 2 man combo net rating with Steph that played over 100 minutes are Kelenna Azubuike (2009-2010), Mikki Moore (2009-2010), Rodney Carney (2010-2011), Dan Gadzuric (2010-2011), and Jordan Crawford (2013-14). Amazing company.
I know the difficult circumstances Wiseman was thrown into. No training camp, covid, wrist injury etc. Whatever the case, there is no precedent for a rookie looking THIS bad and being anything more than a DeAndre Jordan level player. That's the absolute best case scenario I could find, it's not realistic outcome. Even if he does reach that leve, that is an exceptionally disappointing return for a #2 overall pick.
To make matters worse, he tore his meniscus and his recovery projects him to miss the entire summer. A young player with such little experience is now going to miss ANOTHER crucial summer of development and possibly the start of the season. It's a disastrous situation.
The ONLY hope for the Warriors is if they are able to trick a team into believing in his potential. Any scenario where the Warriors keep him is going to be a spectacular failure. If that Siakam deal is available - with Wiseman/Wiggins/7 AND 14, you do it in haste before they come to their senses. But it won't happen because the Raptors are a competent organization.
Wow, this is a super glass-half-empty view. Again, I just don't know if you can be reasoned with, based on experience from glass-half-empty people on social media, so I can't even begin a rebuttal. Most negativity is pretty much dead-set, "get out of my way" type stuff, sorry. Also, there's the risk that you are super-negative on a lot of topics. You might even be in the "Fire Kerr" or "Fire Bob" camp. My experience is just to leave those people alone. Again, sorry. Don't mean to assume, just been my (vast, being credentialed with the team nearly a decade) experience on that.
Just remember to always keep it respectful on here, which so far you have, so that's the good news.
Anyhoo... So if you're wrong, do we get a six-paragraph mea culpa?
For the record, I'm not a Warriors fan. Mavericks fan, big on the draft and watching prospects entering the NBA. I want to see Curry have success deep in the playoffs again, but that's the extent of my interest in the Warriors, aside from James.
I was very curious about how he would look given how little everyone had to evaluate him coming in. I think I've watched every minute he played this season. That's how I came to my conclusions about him. I'm not alone in my evaluation of him.
I love Wiggins and continuity and the opinions expressed so far, but for fun: would people take Wiggins for Siakam straight up? How about Wiggins/7/14 for Siakam/4?
If you have a Top 5 pick this year, I don’t think it would be prudent to trade it. It’s the equivalent of a No. 1 pick any “normal” Draft year. So, that kinda blows up your whole scenario, I’m sorry. I’ll write about this soon, in the context of Scottie Barnes.
Siakam is undoubtably a tier above Wiggins as a player, so those trades would be laughed at by the Raptors. The question is really just whether he is worth the push-in for this Warriors team. I'm starting to get more and more convinced that it might be the best move possible... but it's a weird one
Oh yes for sure the trades I proposed would be laughed at by the raptors. I just want to test to see how much people like Wiggins around here: if the trades being floated (wiggins/wiseman/7 for Siakam) feel like we're giving too much, what kind of trade scenario would people here finally think benefits the Warriors, regardless of whether or not it makes sense for the raptors. I.e. if the raptors were delusional and actually proposed Wiggins for Siakam, my sense is a lot of people here would still veto that.
Ahh, good point. It’s funny, I watched the replay of Canada vs Greece this morning and decided that I would do a video on it. That game was a perfect example of what we love about Wiggs and what makes us go 😬. Thanks, your comment gives me more motivation to finish that (probably at least a 4-hour project, yikes!).
Warriors need to get iguodala back amd draft wings that can shoot. Dont get cute amd draft scottie barnes whose highlight is just dunking..dont ever draft a player that cant shoot in the lottery..draft wings like atlanta.. then add solid defensive mimded playmaking veterans like iguodala to the team to teach them rudiments of nba defense.. get jessup on the team and another centre and we can roll..
The problem is by the time you get to No. 7, it’s hard to find wings (not stand-still shooting guards) who can shoot. And there are plenty of examples of solid wings who were drafted and shooting wasn’t their forte, making a huge impact in the playoffs. Here’s one: Mikal Bridges.
Love how the above analysis just basically says Siakam wouldn’t be a good fit as-is. There are even more red flags, for me, from other angles:
1) Myers already said he’s not trading Wiseman, who is on an attractive/advantageous rookie deal. It’s also not that easy to go out and find a replacement for him, which is probably why Myers went ahead and said what he said in front of reporters.
2) We’re getting more and more indications that playmaker James Bouknight is a “solid” consensus pick at No. 7 and while the proposed trade would occur before the selection is made, it sure feels like giving away a playmaker who would make our second unit one of the most lethal in the league, a starting center and Wiggins — who isn’t THAT far behind Siakam — is a bit rich. More on Bouknight in a future article.
3) This Draft should be deep enough to find some length, athleticism, and defense in the mold of Siakam, probably at 14 if the trend of Bouknight at 7 by the foremost Draft prognosticators remains.
Not just a bit rich -- far too rich. I like Wiggins on this team. I don't like his contract, but apparently, we don't have ways of renegotiating those like they do in the NFL. But he plays good defense, can hit the 3 at a reasonable rate, scores consistently, and has the right ego for his role on this squad. And he's in his mid-20s as well. I'm doubtful that Siakam is a huge improvement, much less that he's worth Wiggins, Wiseman, and the #7. Maybe if we thought that he was the missing piece -- but does anyone really believe that?
I guess “casual” fans might, and I don’t necessarily use that label in a condescending way. Some of those in DubNation, such as Tara who sent us the Google search on Wiseman, just root for the team and were like 😱 after seeing SFGate’s post.
Now, due to the confusion of their online deal with SF Chronicle, sometimes people think they are one and the same and SF Chronicle, with their higher integrity, usually wouldn’t be posting a speculation piece.
I’m just really upset how two sentences from “sources” sometimes turn into misinformation like we saw today. I wouldn’t have asked Gabe to write this if it weren’t for that Google search result (Wiseman is only 20, hope he didn’t search himself today) and fans like Tara posting concerns on social media.
In fact, Gabe was all set to talk about Scottie Barnes and not being able to move up in the Draft when we decided to pivot on this misinformation.
UPDATE: We’re now thinking Moses Moody might be a great fit for GSW. He’s at 8th on NBADraft.net and 10th on BasketballNews.com (the third reliable board being DraftExpress, but I always have trouble finding their board).
You cant find veteran experience in the draft..
Do not give up on Wiseman. I'm old enough to remember the trade of Robert Parrish and the #3 pick (which turned out to be Kevin McHale) for the #1 pick (Joe Barry Carroll). Wiseman's as green as they get but he's only 20 and the Dubs need to play the long game here.
Totally agree, and we’re also working with his lowest point in terms of value currently. If we are gonna eventually trade him, it definitely shouldn’t be now unless some team really will give us a true star.
And they won't.
As long as the FO doesn’t force Wiseman into the starting lineup again, it’s wise to keep him.
You don’t think Wiseman should start? I think Looney should be coming off the bench. He’s a small ball 5 and you usually don’t start games playing small ball (ie who’s going to defend Ayton from the tipoff?).
I think he needs a lot of practice time and should start once he knows how to position for rebounds and is strong enough to get them, can anticipate on D, and most of all knows how to operate in Kerr’s offense by learning how to scree & pass and not sucking the ball away from Curry and Klay.
This also assumes we can't get someone like Chriss or some aging but still capable vet who could start.
I’m not sure I want Chriss starting against Ayton or Zubac or Lopez or Capela. Love the kid, but 6’9” is 6’9”. I’d prefer Chriss be more like the heir apparent to Looney. Of course we would have to address all of our other needs first. But again, Chriss is solid and super guy IQ, attitude and skill-wise. The 5 is an interesting role to fill in the NBA. When the game slows down in the playoffs, you see that it is still a super-important traditional-like position.
Didnt marcus morris start against ayton yesterday and ayton had his worst game in this series.. small ball with 6'8 or 6'9 floor spacing centres play traditional big men off the floor
I think I get what you mean, but it seems crazy to me to think of Chriss (24) as the heir apparent to Loon (25); they're a year apart? I know Kevon has that hip condition, but wow...
Parish
I like Siakam a lot. He is a bona fide paint presence. That said, how much is he worth? Trading Wiggins for him doesn't get much of an upgrade offensively or defensively, plus throw in JW and the #7 pick? That seems an exorbitant amount to pay for Siakam. If we want a PF who can play the paint and pass, we can grab Sengun in the draft, a very heady player who will add value right away and allow JW to either be traded for a win now player, or be developed for the future. There will always be a team that values a big guy and JW will have trade value for at least another year. We keep Wiggins who seems to have cemented his spot and maybe continues to get better with new confidence. No knee-jerk reactions, Myers & Cie!
Agreed on the exorbitant price, haven’t done any research on Sengun yet, and I wouldn’t worry about Myers.
Again, this “rumor” was concocted by the process that we know of as NBA media:
1) Reporter hears something from “sources”, decides to go the “klout” route. And here, it was literally two sentences.
2) Aggregators thirsting for clicks turn two sentences into more words, and twist the headlines so that they tip-toe on the line of altering the truth.
3) Memes galore that feed on the headlines of aggregators, creating another level of aggregation, which further popularizes the topic and alters search results, making the layman equate the headlines served up by Google and others as Wiseman for sure getting traded.
But hey, this is one of LetsGoWarriors’ new purposes!
I think Wiggins has really improved, i like him,, but let's be real. He's never had a positive net rating or BPM in his career. Siakam has only had one negative year outside his rookie year. In 2019, his BPM WAS 10th in the NBA. He eviscerated us at times in the Finals and has a ring to show for it. That is a long ways from "he's getting better!' Siakam is an unequivocally better player right now, and we are talking about optimizing right now. Whether it's worth the price is another story, but Siakam has been superb at the biggest moments, and we still don't know that about Wiggins.
I saw enough of Siakam in the Bubble — in fact, rooted for the guy — to finally conclude that he needed Kawhi as the No. 1 for him to flourish against us in the Finals. I haven’t envisioned him on GSW and being in the same support role, so idk, but I really don’t think Wiggs is that far off.
Maybe you can suggest a trade that makes sense that involves Wiggs and Siakam? Who knows, we might actually agree on that dream transaction.
True, but even "he's a guy who needs to play with a superstar to really be a plus player in high pressure situations" is a quantifiable we just don't have with Wiggins yet. We have a superstar, and two near superstars, seems like the right climate for Siakam. As for trades, I'm a big fan of Boucher's potential and wished we had kept him around. I think he's a player on the come up (his advanced stats are sneaky good), and if we could get something like 7/Wiseman/Wiggins for Siakam/Boucher, we'd have a pretty interesting team. Boucher and Siakam are both still quite young, but also more experienced than any draft pick we'll get at 7 or Wiseman. Of course the only way this is realistic is if Raptors think Wiseman is awesome. They might make us throw in 14 too, which I might be ok with. Will we regret it when Wiseman and Scottie Barnes are stars in 3 years? Probably...Will the titles we win in the meantime make it feel better? Highly likely.
Barnes is going 6th, so idk about any regrets for Barnes. And if you’re that high on Boucher, who are you gonna get to defend the likes of Ayton Zubac Lopez Capela and the bonafide 5s of the elite teams? It’s a lot easier to find a Boucher in this Draft than it is to find a Wiseman anywhere.
With the exception of Capela, none are prolific scorers or rebounders. Warriors have faced Capela in the playoffs with Looney and Dray. Granted, we don't have the height that most teams have but when you have skilled bigs who are not true centers, they have been answers. The Center position is not a focus in Kerr's system. Stretch 5's and 4's are. JW is very far from a defensive presence in any sense except maybe one on one shot blocking. Players like Siakam and Boucher far outplay him. Will he grow into it? Probably, but if we are talking win now, it makes sense to look elsewhere for big guys. We could also pick up a big guy in one of the trash bins if they are keen to get one. Of course, I don't expect the Dubs to seek this trade out. For me it's only fun to think about as the Warriors would instantly become better, there is no doubt in my mind, but the two teams will never agree on this one.
I think your proposal is also too rich. But, I would strongly consider the 2W's straight up for Siakam/Boucher. We keep our 2 picks. This immediately takes care of our front court for years with two quality big players that are win now and young enough for several years. Wiggins is a very good piece for us but I feel he is more easily replaceable. We can focus on a PG & scorer in the draft and pick ups elsewhere. Klay should take care of the lost Wiggins points, Boucher & Siakam, the lost Wiseman points and lack thereof of Dray's output. Works for me and with the addition of Mitchell and Kispert in the draft, I'm thinking a good day's work for Myers & Cie.
I guess we are getting to the point where people are in the camp of keeping Wiseman or not. I just don’t think it’s so easy to find a playoff 5 out there, guys. Think Ayton. That guy is gonna be a problem in the West for years to come,
Siakam will suck in warriors system. He has a low bball IQ. He probably started playing late because africans primarily play soccer. He also isnt a good shooter. I'll trade wiggins and 7th pick for jalen brown but not siakam..
I hope you are correct. As a long time Warriors fan, I want to keep James Wiseman and at least one of the high first round picks in order to build for the long term future.
Siakam was the 27th pick. Warriors should keep their 7th and 14th and pick two players better than Siakam in a year or two, without the salary drain. Keep Wiggins - we like him. Keep Wiseman - he's going to be really good in a few years.
If they do this trade, I'm done as a Dubs fan. Some trades make or break a franchise. This one would rob us of our future. I want to see Wiseman and that #7 pick grow and be the stars of our future, long after Steph is gone.
You wouldn’t REALLY be done though, right? 😃💛💙
Gabe Johnson? A new writer? Somehow I missed catching the details. Anyway, welcome dude!
Gabe’s been quite active with our livestreams on YouTube and our Discord. Pleade consider joining our Discord. It’s only $1/mo right now, will go up to $5/mo as part of the subscription package of this Substack site, maybe when the Draft hits, not sure yet. Signup at https://patreon.com/LetsGoWarriors
The more I think about what to do about the pick situation, the more depressing it gets. All the names that are in serious consideration in the media are flawed, especially in terms of shooting. Those names that could theoretically be available and offer shooting would result in a defensive downgrade if Wiggins was traded and trading Klay is not an option for the FO, partly out of misguided loyalty, partly because nobody would want him.
Staying put is also not really an option as far as winning is concerned, Wiseman is still well away from being a key player for a contender and it's reasonable to worry that he'll never get there without lots of playing time at the NBA level, which we can't really offer. The #7 is an unknown and could easily end up an unsuccessful player. The average #14 pick produces literally less than most any veteran we could get by trading it (8.8/3.0/1.9 per 82games.com).
Right now, it feels like the only realistic way to see the Warriors near the top is to stay where we are, pray for miracle improvements and hope Stephen is okay with being mediocre in the future if said miracles don't come.
Ah well, at least there is one obvious bright side: the next week's could become very interesting.
I have to disagree. The most important addition we are getting is the Hall of Famer Klay. We will have one of the best starting fives in the NBA and perhaps a Top Ten Sixth Man in Jordan Poole. GSW as a destination is very appealing to most veteran free agents. Anyways, I feel it is fruitless to argue with you. Are you “Depressed Warrior Fan” on Twitter?
I'm not that far gone, I don't even have a twitter. :D
I just am concerned that Klay will not be the Hall of Famer, not be the all-star, not the Splash Brother that he once was. ACL and achilles is a very difficult combo to overcome. Of course, I want to be wrong and you have all the permission in the world to dunk on me if I happen to be wrong.
Oh good for you. Yeah, I wouldn't recommend Twitter now that social media has morphed into a cesspool of negativity.
So I probably have some built-in defenses for the outraged subsection of DubNation, sorry if that came through.
Sure, it's debatable. The glass can always be looked at half-empty or half-full. We'll always lean towards half-full here. Appreciate you reading!
Don't worry, I fully get that. Some Warriors communities are insufferable. Less said about r/warriors (and especially its Discord, where "discord" is indeed the best word for it) the better. That's why I wanted to clarify that I desperately want to be wrong. Probably I'll be out here after Klay's first made three and shout "Oh my god, I was such a fool to doubt this man, Klay GOAT injury comeback don't @ me".
Siakam was at best a borderline negative contract this year. Wiggins+Wiseman+Pick 7 would be a wild overpay (And I desperately want to see Wiseman either playing solely with the backups or traded to prevent another lost year next year.)
Warrior fans are really struggling dealing with the harsh reality - they drafted a bust with their most valuable asset. An asset they desperately needed to maximize in order to give Curry another shot at winning a championship.
Wiseman was amongst the very worst rotation players in the NBA. If you look past his decent counting stats, his impact metrics were in the Anthony Randolph, Javale McGee and Bagley tier, in most areas significantly worse. His feel for the game and basketball IQ are jarringly bad. The eye test confirms how bad he was.
This man couldn't put up positive net ratings in lineups WITH Curry. The only players with a worse 2 man combo net rating with Steph that played over 100 minutes are Kelenna Azubuike (2009-2010), Mikki Moore (2009-2010), Rodney Carney (2010-2011), Dan Gadzuric (2010-2011), and Jordan Crawford (2013-14). Amazing company.
I know the difficult circumstances Wiseman was thrown into. No training camp, covid, wrist injury etc. Whatever the case, there is no precedent for a rookie looking THIS bad and being anything more than a DeAndre Jordan level player. That's the absolute best case scenario I could find, it's not realistic outcome. Even if he does reach that leve, that is an exceptionally disappointing return for a #2 overall pick.
To make matters worse, he tore his meniscus and his recovery projects him to miss the entire summer. A young player with such little experience is now going to miss ANOTHER crucial summer of development and possibly the start of the season. It's a disastrous situation.
The ONLY hope for the Warriors is if they are able to trick a team into believing in his potential. Any scenario where the Warriors keep him is going to be a spectacular failure. If that Siakam deal is available - with Wiseman/Wiggins/7 AND 14, you do it in haste before they come to their senses. But it won't happen because the Raptors are a competent organization.
Wow, this is a super glass-half-empty view. Again, I just don't know if you can be reasoned with, based on experience from glass-half-empty people on social media, so I can't even begin a rebuttal. Most negativity is pretty much dead-set, "get out of my way" type stuff, sorry. Also, there's the risk that you are super-negative on a lot of topics. You might even be in the "Fire Kerr" or "Fire Bob" camp. My experience is just to leave those people alone. Again, sorry. Don't mean to assume, just been my (vast, being credentialed with the team nearly a decade) experience on that.
Just remember to always keep it respectful on here, which so far you have, so that's the good news.
Anyhoo... So if you're wrong, do we get a six-paragraph mea culpa?
For the record, I'm not a Warriors fan. Mavericks fan, big on the draft and watching prospects entering the NBA. I want to see Curry have success deep in the playoffs again, but that's the extent of my interest in the Warriors, aside from James.
I was very curious about how he would look given how little everyone had to evaluate him coming in. I think I've watched every minute he played this season. That's how I came to my conclusions about him. I'm not alone in my evaluation of him.
https://kellyroldan.substack.com/p/the-warriors-season-in-review-james
I've been wrong plenty on prospects, it's just part of the fun so I'd have no problem admitting my mistake if he pans out. I just don't see it.
Y
I love Wiggins and continuity and the opinions expressed so far, but for fun: would people take Wiggins for Siakam straight up? How about Wiggins/7/14 for Siakam/4?
If you have a Top 5 pick this year, I don’t think it would be prudent to trade it. It’s the equivalent of a No. 1 pick any “normal” Draft year. So, that kinda blows up your whole scenario, I’m sorry. I’ll write about this soon, in the context of Scottie Barnes.
Siakam is undoubtably a tier above Wiggins as a player, so those trades would be laughed at by the Raptors. The question is really just whether he is worth the push-in for this Warriors team. I'm starting to get more and more convinced that it might be the best move possible... but it's a weird one
Oh yes for sure the trades I proposed would be laughed at by the raptors. I just want to test to see how much people like Wiggins around here: if the trades being floated (wiggins/wiseman/7 for Siakam) feel like we're giving too much, what kind of trade scenario would people here finally think benefits the Warriors, regardless of whether or not it makes sense for the raptors. I.e. if the raptors were delusional and actually proposed Wiggins for Siakam, my sense is a lot of people here would still veto that.
Ahh, good point. It’s funny, I watched the replay of Canada vs Greece this morning and decided that I would do a video on it. That game was a perfect example of what we love about Wiggs and what makes us go 😬. Thanks, your comment gives me more motivation to finish that (probably at least a 4-hour project, yikes!).
Warriors need to get iguodala back amd draft wings that can shoot. Dont get cute amd draft scottie barnes whose highlight is just dunking..dont ever draft a player that cant shoot in the lottery..draft wings like atlanta.. then add solid defensive mimded playmaking veterans like iguodala to the team to teach them rudiments of nba defense.. get jessup on the team and another centre and we can roll..
The problem is by the time you get to No. 7, it’s hard to find wings (not stand-still shooting guards) who can shoot. And there are plenty of examples of solid wings who were drafted and shooting wasn’t their forte, making a huge impact in the playoffs. Here’s one: Mikal Bridges.