The NBA trade deadline brought about a flurry of activity—and a bevy of savings for the defending champs.
In a multi-team trade, the Warriors dealt former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to the Pistons and received guard Gary Payton II in return from the Trail Blazers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
As part of the deal, the Pistons also reportedly sent forward Saddiq Bey to Atlanta and Kevin Knox to Golden State, with the Hawks sending five second-round picks to the Warriors. Golden State then reportedly sent Knox and the picks to Portland in exchange for Payton.
With the move, the Warriors are saving about $7 million in luxury tax for this season and $30 million for next season, per Wojnarowski. Golden State has the second-highest payroll in the NBA this season, and has a trio of players—Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins—set to make nearly $120 million combined next year. Forward Draymond Green also has a player option worth $27.5 million for 2023-24.
Wiseman, who turns 22 in March, was taken second overall in the 2020 draft. He’s appeared in 21 games this year after missing all of last season with a knee injury, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. As a rookie, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds over 39 games.
The Warriors entered Thursday with a 28–27 record and sitting in the No. 9 spot in the Western Conference.
