Golden State Warriors Receive: F/C Christian Wood
Houston Rockets Receive: C James Wiseman, F Eric Paschall, GSW 2021 1st Round Pick (Pick #14)
Having the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft is very valuable for the Rockets, but they are potentially looking to move up one spot in order to draft Cade Cunningham out of Oklahoma State. However, they may not have the right amount of assets in order to strike a deal with the Detroit Pistons.
In this deal with the Warriors, not only would the Rockets be getting James Wiseman as a young center to replace Christian Wood in the frontcourt, but they would be getting Eric Paschall and the 14th pick in this year’s draft as potential “bait” to trade with the Pistons. The Rockets do have interest in striking a deal with the Pistons in order to draft Cade Cunningham, but to do so, they may have to get another lottery pick besides their 2nd overall pick to send to Detroit.
There are a lot of moving pieces for Houston this offseason if they are to try and move up in the draft, but this trade with the Warriors ensures that they would have what they needed. They could hypothetically trade their 2nd pick, the Warriors’ 14th pick and then other assets to the Pistons in order to try and acquire the 1st overall pick, but again, a lot would need to happen.
Taking a step away from the draft for a moment, trading away Christian Wood does not seem like the smart move for the Rockets given how much they value him as their focal point moving forward, but there is no denying that James Wiseman is a very talented young player.
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Wiseman was drafted 2nd overall in 2020 by the Warriors and possesses All-Star potential moving forward, but the best part about him is that he is only 20-years-old. He is going to get better and better with time, which is why Houston could actually be interested in acquiring James Wiseman to be their center moving forward. He will be a name to watch in trade rumors this NBA offseason.
From the Warriors’ perspective, they are in a position to win now with Steph, Klay and Draymond all still being in the primes of their careers. There is no time to wait if Golden State is going to chase more championships, which is why acquiring Christian Wood, a player who can contribute immediately for them in their championship efforts, would make sense.
With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at this trade from both team’s perspectives and truly see if this is a trade that makes sense for both the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets to make ahead of this year’s draft.
