NBA exec believes Dubs will put Wiseman or JK on trade block originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
With a 14-16 record to start the 2022-23 NBA season, the Warriors’ defense of their league title isn’t going as well as the team might have hoped.
And now that star guard Steph Curry reportedly will miss at least two weeks with a left shoulder subluxation, could Golden State shake up its roster ahead of the NBA trade deadline?
One league executive told Steve Bulpett of Heavy Sports that two Warriors youngsters could be up for grabs.
“I have a feeling the Warriors are going to make either [James] Wiseman or [Jonathan] Kuminga available,” the unnamed NBA exec told Bulpett. “They just need another solid veteran.”
The Warriors have been reported to be in the mix for dormant Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder, along with plenty of other teams, and whispers of a potential Kevin Durant reunion have hounded Golden State since the summer.
But could the team really be interested in moving a player like Kuminga, whose unreal athleticism offers great potential, or Wiseman, their former No. 2 overall pick who they’ve publicly stated they believe in?
This executive thinks so.
“They think they’re decent enough talent-wise, but they just don’t think they can put those kids on the floor and execute,” the executive told Bulpett. “They recognize their talent and their athletic ability; they just don’t have the execution piece. And their logic is this: they only have X number of years of Steph Curry‘s elite level of play, and they don’t want to waste any of it.
“So far those two kids have just not developed in the same way Jordan Poole has, and I would think there’s somebody out there who’ll say, ‘Yeah, I’ll take one of those young guys and see if I can’t, with patience, get them to develop.’ ”
The anonymous exec also added that Golden State might be more willing to part with Wiseman, as there’s “concern” there for his commitment to the game.
The Warriors recalled the 21-year-old from the G League on Thursday, and Wiseman proceeded to score six points in 11 minutes off the bench during the team’s 118-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was pleased with Wiseman’s showing, and the 7-footer will remain with Golden State throughout the duration of their current road trip. As for Kuminga, recent stellar showings against the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz have earned him praise, too.
RELATED: Steph reacts to shoulder injury, is relieved surgery isn’t needed
Whether or not the Warriors can get through this rough patch without Curry remains to be seen.
But there’s always a chance the team could look a lot different entering the new year.
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