James Wiseman Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Suns, Payne, Lakers

March 1st, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite rumors that he might be ready to return at the start of March, Warriors center James Wiseman remains sidelined for now. He’s with Golden State on the four-game road trip that begins tonight so that he can practice and scrimmage with the team, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who tweets that head coach Steve Kerr continues to take a “day-to-day” approach with Wiseman’s rehab. There’s still no target date for his season debut.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer contends that Chris Paul‘s absence due to a hand injury could be a “blessing in disguise” for the Suns as long as it doesn’t extend into the postseason. As O’Connor explains, a number of other Suns will get a chance to handle the ball with Paul sidelined, which could allow the team to experiment a little and add a new layer to its offense.
Suns point guard Cameron Payne did some 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and a little 5-on-5 work on Monday, head coach Monty Williams told reporters today (video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). The team is hoping Payne can return from his right wrist injury soon, with Williams noting that the plan would be for the veteran guard to displace Cameron Johnson in the starting lineup (Twitter link via Rankin).
John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link) questions why the Lakers didn’t complete a salary-dump trade involving DeAndre Jordan prior to last month’s deadline if they were just going to eventually waive him anyway. As Hollinger points out, the Lakers could’ve sent out cash with Jordan, essentially paying him another team to take him. Doing so would’ve reduced L.A.’s tax bill by about $5MM, so the team still would’ve come out ahead financially.

Injury Updates: Warriors, George, Smart, Porzingis

February 24th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala continues to deal with back soreness and is out for the Warriors Thursday night at Portland, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The 38-year-old, who missed 13 of Golden State’s last 14 games leading into the All-Star break, has been productive when healthy, but has played just 26 games to this point.

Draymond Green and James Wiseman are also out Thursday, Slater reports in the same tweet. Wiseman did travel with the team, however, and appears to be inching closer to a return, as he was a full participant in Golden State’s scrimmage Wednesday night, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). A recent report indicated Wiseman might make his season debut on March 1, but coach Steve Kerr says there are no firm next steps for when the young big man will return.

Green has been dealing with a back/disc injury and said during All-Star Weekend that he hopes to return within three or four weeks.

Here are some more injury-related updates from around the league:

Clippers star Paul George, who’s currently sidelined with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday but it has been pushed back to Friday, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered an ankle injury February 15 at Philadelphia, but he says it’s gotten better over the All-Star break. “Feeling pretty good. Honestly, the night of the injury was pretty harsh for me. Couldn’t put any pressure on it, but over the break, was able to get some sun and did some cool things to work on it. Swelling’s gone down,” Smart said (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic).
The Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis on February 10, but it sounds like they’ll continue to have to wait for his debut. He wasn’t a full participant in practice Wednesday or Thursday and coach Wes Unseld Jr. says Porzingis will be ramped up over a period of time, going from one-on-one to three-on-three then five-on-five. He has no definitive timetable for a return and is considered day-to-day going forward (All Twitter links from Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Poole, Wiseman, Thompson

February 23rd, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors already have the NBA’s most expensive roster, but their payroll may only continue to rise in the coming years, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

As Letourneau outlines, Kevon Looney will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and has earned a raise on his current $5.2MM salary; Jordan Poole will be extension-eligible this offseason; and Andrew Wiggins will be entering the final year of his contract in 2022/23.

This season, those three players are earning a combined $39MM, but if Golden State wants to hang onto them going forward, that cost will likely increase substantially beginning in ’23/24, when new deals for Wiggins and Poole would go into effect. Keith Smith of Spotrac estimates that Poole’s next contract could be worth in the neighborhood of $80MM over four years, Letourneau notes.

With all this in mind, Letourneau wonders if Wiggins could be the Warriors’ odd man out. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrived in Golden State, earning his first All-Star nod this season, but Letourneau is unconvinced that the organization would be prepared to give him another maximum-salary contract next year, pushing team salary over $200MM (not counting tax penalties) — especially if Jonathan Kuminga proves increasingly capable of eventually taking over Wiggins’ starting forward spot.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Within that same Chronicle story, Letourneau suggests that Looney could be in line for a multiyear deal worth about $6MM annually this offseason, and says the Warriors will make an effort to extend Poole during the 2022 offseason.
Cyrus Saatsaz of Locked on Warriors (video link) states that his cohost Dieter Kurtenbach of The Bay Area News Group has heard from a source that James Wiseman will return to action for Golden State on March 1, which would be the team’s third game after the All-Star break. Wiseman has described himself as being in the late stages of his rehab process, so we could certainly see him soon, though it’s worth noting that Klay Thompson‘s return was initially projected to happen before Christmas, and he didn’t make his season debut until January 9. Like they did with Thompson, the Warriors will play it safe with Wiseman, making sure he doesn’t play until he’s 100%.
Speaking of Thompson, while he feels fully healthy, he’s still in the process of working his way back to his pre-injury form, as he tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I had a good game, but I want to put together a string of games,” Thompson said after a 33-point performance against the Lakers earlier this month. “I want to be back to playing at an elite level when I was making All-NBA teams. I know that’s going to come. I’m ahead of schedule from where I thought I’d be. I’m very competitive. I want to shoot at a high percentage. I want to be as efficient as I was.” Thompson added that he also wants to continue improving on defense, where he feels as if he has about “80 to 85 percent” of his lateral quickness back.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Kuminga, Green, Buyout Market

February 17th, 2022 at 7:17am CST by Arthur Hill

A year ago, James Wiseman was the only member of the Warriors‘ youth movement, writes Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. As a rookie center with only three games of college experience, Wiseman was asked to contribute right away for a franchise that had gotten used to competing for titles. He played 39 games, starting 27, before knee surgery brought his season to an early end.

This year, Wiseman has been joined by lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, along with Jordan Poole, who is already a dangerous scorer at age 22. Like many in the organization, Wiseman is optimistic about the team’s future and is especially impressed by Kuminga, who has been added to the Rising Stars Challenge.

“I’m actually proud of the dude because he works hard every day,” Wiseman said of Kuminga. “I’m just very proud that he is out there doing his thing.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Wiseman continues to make progress toward his season debut, participating in a 5-on-5 scrimmage on Tuesday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman described himself as being in the late stages of the rehab process and said he expects to play a little in the G League before returning for the Warriors.
Golden State issued a health update on Draymond Green, saying the veteran big man is expected back sometime after the All-Star break. Green has missed 19 straight games with lower back issues, and the next update likely won’t come until he returns to practice.
General manager Bob Myers said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game that the expected returns of Green and Wiseman influenced his decision to not be active on the trade market. “If we thought Draymond was not going to be back, or Wiseman, and we thought some player would really help us, we would do that,” Myers said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “At this stage, as far as clamoring for a big guy, there isn’t an obvious, ‘Go get that guy,’ and he fits with what we do and can run our offense. It’s not just taking any big and saying, ‘This guy’s going to be able to rebound, block shots and be able to run your offense.’ Our offense is intricate. Our offense is complicated.”
Coach Steve Kerr echoed the same sentiment, indicating that the Warriors don’t plan to chase anyone who gets bought out, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Our issues go way beyond not having enough size,” Kerr said. “… If there is a player that good, he’s not on the buyout market.”

Pacific Notes: Powell, Lakers, Shamet, Wiseman

February 15th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The current treatment plan for Clippers swingman Norman Powell, who broke a bone in his left foot last Thursday, is non-surgical, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group. Asked about a potential return timeline for Powell, head coach Tyronn Lue couldn’t offer any specifics, but expressed hope that the 28-year-old will be back before the end of the season.

“Hopefully,” Lue said. “I’m not really sure, but hopefully that’s the case.”

As Swanson writes, Powell – acquired in a trade with Portland earlier in the month – had only been a Clipper for three games before he went down with his foot injury. However, he had already established himself as an important part of the rotation, playing nearly 34 minutes in his last game on Thursday, so he’ll be missed. Additionally, the Clippers sacrificed some depth on the wing in their pre-deadline deals.

“It does leave a void, because now you lose Justise Winslow, Eric Bledsoe, who you traded him for, along with Keon Johnson,” Lue said. “… Since (Powell) was here, he gave us great downhill attacks, direct line, quick decisions, getting to the free-throw line and he scored the ball really easy. So we’re definitely gonna miss that.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

During an appearance on The Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne confirmed the Lakers would have had to incentivize the Rockets to swap John Wall for Russell Westbrook at the trade deadline, but suggested the cost wouldn’t necessarily have been a first-round pick, as had been previously reported. “The way I heard it was it could have been done for a first-round pick, but it was even suggested they could have done it for a pick swap,” Shelburne said, per RealGM. “… Let’s put it this way, they would have had to incentivize Houston to do the trade with some kind of draft compensation. I think it was even less than what people have assumed.”
Suns guard Landry Shamet, who has been sidelined since January 30 due to a right ankle injury, is being careful not to rush the recovery process and won’t return until sometime after the All-Star break, writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “I’ve come back from ankle injuries a little too early in the past,” Shamet said on Monday. “With the aspirations this team has and what I have for myself, for us, I want to make sure I’m in the best place possible to be able to sustain for a long time.”
Warriors center James Wiseman was cleared to begin participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Wiseman is working his way back from a pair of procedures on his right knee.

Warriors Notes: K. Thompson, Kuminga, R. Lopez, Wiseman

February 13th, 2022 at 9:01am CST by Arthur Hill

After two-and-a-half years of rehab to overcome two serious injuries, Klay Thompson was back in a familiar role for the Warriors Saturday night, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. With a nationally televised game against the Lakers hanging in the balance, Thompson exploded for 16 points in the fourth quarter of a 117-115 victory. It was his highest-scoring quarter since 2018, and the 33-point effort marked his biggest scoring night since returning.

“After not feeling that feeling for a few years, don’t take a 30-ball lightly in this league,” Thompson said. “I know that is always in me, but these things happen naturally. I can’t — if I can play to do that every fourth quarter, I would. It’s not the game of ball. It’s the flow of the game. Great things happen with time.”

It was a vintage performance for Thompson, who is still on a minutes restriction, and it’s exactly what the Warriors will need heading into the playoffs. In addition to his offensive brilliance, Thompson was a difference maker on defense, holding Lakers shooters to 1-of-6 from the field as a primary defender.

“There were so many long days in this building,” he recalled, “so many long days doing those tedious things. That is something that I wasn’t used to prior due to my ability to play nightly. Now that I am able to do that, it inspires me to keep going. I am not satisfied. It felt really freaking good, though.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Rookie Jonathan Kuminga played against LeBron James for the first time Saturday night, and coach Steve Kerr said it’s important that he gets those type of experiences out of the way now, per Monte Poole 0f NBC Sports Bay Area. Kuminga has played at least 22 minutes in six straight games and appears to be part of the rotation heading toward the postseason. “Let’s put him on LeBron now, because he’s gonna have to guard LeBron and plenty of other guys in the playoffs who are really, really tough jobs, tough covers,” Kerr said. “We’re just trying to get him all the experience we can right now. He’s handling it beyond anything I could have expected, even a couple weeks ago. His rise this last month has just been brilliant.”
With only one healthy center on the roster, Robin Lopez could emerge as a potential target for the Warriors if he reaches a buyout agreement with the Magic, suggests Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Schrock sees Tristan Thompson, DeAndre Jordan and Paul Millsap as other possibilities, although he considers them less likely.
James Wiseman, who is still trying to return after knee surgery, went through a pre-game workout Saturday and has been involved in increased 3-on-3 contact drills over the past few days, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Warriors Notes: Trade Deadline, Wiseman, Thompson, Iguodala

February 10th, 2022 at 1:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors remain committed to their “two-timeline plan” and aren’t expected to make any sort of major move before today’s trade deadline, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Golden State has young players such as James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody who could help land an immediate difference maker such as Pacers center Myles Turner, Slater adds, but the Warriors aren’t willing to risk their future to improve their championship odds this season.

Stephen Curry said he hasn’t talked this week with general manager Bob Myers, which Slater states is notable because teams usually discuss deals with their star players before they occur. Draymond Green also hinted recently that the Warriors intend to stand pat.

“We have found a great mix of youth and experience,” Green said. “I don’t think — it’s not my role, my job — but I can’t see (big activity at the deadline) happening, and if it does, I’d be shocked.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Myers had his staff reach out to every other team this week to see if any smaller deals are available that might be beneficial, Slater adds. Golden State could be active on the buyout market and may look to unload one of its guaranteed salaries to create a roster opening and avoid any further luxury tax payments. The Warriors will listen to offers all the way to the deadline, according to Slater.
Wiseman took part in contact drills Tuesday for the first time since his meniscus injury last April, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. The Warriors had originally hoped he would be ready for training camp. He participated in a pre-game workout Wednesday, Slater tweets, but the team hasn’t decided when to try him in a 5-on-5 setting.
Klay Thompson‘s minutes restriction was bumped up to 30 before Monday’s game at Oklahoma City, Andrews adds in a separate story. “That’s a huge milestone for myself, and hopefully I can build on it,” Thompson said. “I feel incredible. … I feel like I haven’t missed a beat only 12 games in.”
Andre Iguodala, who missed Wednesday’s game at Utah, will be held out of the second half of the team’s back-to-back set tonight vs. the Knicks due to lower back tightness, according to Slater (Twitter link).

Pacific Notes: James, Davis, Fox, Haliburton, Rubio, Green, Wiseman

February 7th, 2022 at 8:03pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers VP of basketball operations Rob Pelinka has remained in regular communication with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to discuss potential trades, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, but Pelinka has done that in the past. James is prepared to play out the season with the current roster.

“I don’t really like to play fantasy basketball, so this is the group that we have going into the deadline and we’ll be ready to take on all challenges that this season has given us,” James said. “If there’s an opportunity — I’ve said this every year – if there’s an opportunity for you to get better, then you explore those options. That’s always been (my stance).”

The Lakers don’t have a lot of flexibility with three max deals on their cap.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Kings would still prefer to build around De’Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton, sources told the Sacramento Bee’s Jason Anderson. Fox is in the first year of a five-year, $163MM max contract extension. This comes on the heels of a report that the Knicks are interested in Fox and that some people around the NBA believe Sacramento hasn’t given up on its pursuit of Ben Simmons.
Injured guard Ricky Rubio, who just had his expiring contract moved from Cleveland to Indiana, said in a recent Spanish media interview (hat tip to Hoops Hype) that he wouldn’t mind eventually playing with the Warriors. “It would be nice to play with (Stephen) Curry and Klay Thompson,” Rubio said.
While the Warriors might be in the market for frontcourt help, GM Bob Myers said the best solution would be to get Draymond Green and James Wiseman back in action, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. “We’re being told that both of those guys, Draymond and James, will be available and back to help up with some games to go,” he said. “I don’t know if it’ll be 20, 25, 15. But we think those two will help us more than anything we’re looking at on the market.”

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Wiggins, Iguodala, Arena Vaccine Policy

January 27th, 2022 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The wait continues for James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, and there’s no end in sight, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. The Warriors center required arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-December and is nine months removed from the meniscus surgery he underwent last April. The procedure in December cleaned up some swelling.

The Warriors had hoped Wiseman would make his season debut in February, but that remains uncertain.

“There’s just no blueprint for this,” coach Steve Kerr told KNBR, as Schrock relays. “This is such a unique set of circumstances, and we will just have to see how it plays out, and we thought it was going to play out very differently. We thought he would be back by now. I just feel so bad for James. He is working every day. … The poor guy is dealing with the injury, with the knee, and we just don’t know when he is going to turn the corner.”

We have more on the Warriors:

Many people may question whether Andrew Wiggins deserved to be All-Star starter, as was revealed on Thursday, but the Warriors are thrilled about it, Connor Letorneau of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. “Man, one of the proudest moments I’ve had as a coach, just to see what Wiggs has done since he got here. … I just could not be any happier for him,” Kerr said. “The whole organization is just glowing right now.”
Andre Iguodala has missed the last three games with a hip injury and will miss at least the next two, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Iguodala hasn’t played since a 31-minute stint against Indiana on Jan. 20.
New COVID guidelines for entry into Chase Center were announced on Thursday and will take effect on February 1st. According to a team press release, Chase Center will require proof of either an up-to-date vaccination, including proof of a booster shot for eligible guests received at least one week prior to the event, or a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 24 hours (for antigen tests) or 48 hours (for PCR tests). All individuals are required to wear a mask within the arena unless actively eating or drinking.

James Wiseman Had Knee Surgery In December

January 13th, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Rory Maher

Warriors center James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, required arthroscopic right knee surgery in mid-December, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman is nine months removed from the meniscus surgery he underwent last April, which is typically at the cautious end of a recovery timeline.

A previously unreported surgery was needed to address “minor-yet-persistent swelling” last month, which has slowed his return to action, Slater writes. Wiseman was cleared for full practices at the beginning of November and was reportedly on a similar recovery timeline as Klay Thompson, who made his season debut January 9, but after the setback it’s unclear when Wiseman will begin playing.

Slater notes that Wiseman is traveling with the team again and doing individual workouts. Head coach Steve Kerr says the 20-year-old is inching closer to three-on-three and five-on-five full-contact activity in the weeks ahead.

“His rehab is going really well,” Kerr said. “His knee is feeling good. His spirits are up, he’s bouncing around practice — high energy. He’s getting ready to play with some contact. It’s exciting just to see a smile on his face and to see him back after this long of an absence.”

However, as Slater relays, with his long-awaited debut pushed back further, it’s reasonable to question how much Wiseman will actually contribute once he’s fully healthy. The Warriors are a legitimate championship contender and acclimating a raw-but-talented center into a highly successful group could be a real challenge for the team.

Golden State is currently 30-10, No. 2 in the West and the second-best record in the league, one game behind the Suns.