The Indiana Pacers didn’t re-sign Myles Turner, as the star big man took a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. It was one of the bigger surprises of the early stages of the offseason, but now the Pacers have a decision to make. And according to a recent report from Jake Fischer, that could come in the form of a former Golden State Warriors player in James Wiseman.Â
Wiseman, who the Warriors drafted in the first round with the second overall pick, didn’t pan out in Golden State. Perhaps his injuries were a bit to blame for that, but things simply didn’t go as planned. He was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons before joining the Pacers last season in 2024-25.Â
“I think the Pacers are just going to focus right now on internal growth, on bringing back Isaiah Jackson, who was lost to the season with a torn Achilles, and James Wiseman was out for the year with an injury,” said Fischer.
Wiseman May Have an Opportunity in Indiana
The Indiana Pacers traded Wiseman to the Toronto Raptors during the season a year ago, but he was quickly waived by Toronto. However, according to Fischer, the former Golden State Warriors big man has actually been in the Pacers practice facility.Â
“He was back in the Pacers’ facility working out the other day,” Fischer revealed. “So we’re expecting him to have an opportunity.”
Fischer isn’t the only one to suggest that Wiseman could return to the Pacers and potentially be their starting center. When searching for options, the Indy Star wrote that while his injuries are a bit concerning, he might be the best option they currently have because of the lack of options on the market.Â
âThe Achilles tendon tear wasn’t Wiseman’s first major injury as he also missed 18 months with a meniscus tear suffered when he was with the Warriors. The combination of the injuries is obviously a risk, but his size and athleticism might still be worth a flyer if the Pacers can use him as a third option. However, it probably wouldn’t be wise for the Pacers to sign Jackson and Wiseman even if they are both progressing well as there’s a good chance they might take a while to return to full capacity,â they wrote.
Wisemanâs Tough Road in the NBA
When the Golden State Warriors drafted Wiseman, the hope was for him to be a modern NBA center, someone who can block shots at a high level and score in multiple ways. Instead, Wiseman hasn’t truly shown much at the NBA level, outside of his 25.2 minutes per game with the Detroit Pistons in 2022-23 when he averaged 12.7 points. That was a promising sign for Wiseman, but the hope was for him, again, to be a bit better than that when the Warriors drafted him.
The Indiana Pacers will have a strange season next year because of Tyrese Haliburton’s Achilles injury, but that could give somebody like Wiseman an opportunity to prove that he still belongs in the NBA.Â
Achilles injuries are always tricky, so Wiseman will have a tough journey back, but thereâs a chance the former Warriors youngster will figure things out and eventually guarantee himself a job in the NBA.
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