Warriors owner was hesitant to go through with James Wiseman trade

The Warriors raised eyebrows earlier this winter after trading former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for picks and cap relief. When owner Joe Lacob was asked by 'The Athletic''s Tim Kawakami whether he needed convincing before giving the all-clear on the team's move, he responded in the affirmative. 

"Uhh, yeah. I think so," Lacob said. "Because I think James is a really good young player and we're not going to get many opportunities to draft a young guy like that again." 

Lacob laid blame on both sides when it came to why Wiseman never got a legitimate opportunity to shine in the Warrior lineup. Part of Lacob still laments losing the 21-year-old seven-footer.

"We're not getting an opportunity to get a big talent like that with size very often," Lacob said. "I mean, it was a very hard decision for the organization, to be quite honest." 

Since joining the Pistons, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds across 24.6 minutes a contest in a small sample of five games. In 21 games with the Warriors prior to the team shift, he averaged only 12.5 minutes while posting averages of 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds.

"You know we might very well regret that one, longer term or even intermediate term," Lacob said.

Wiseman is just 21 years old.