The Toronto Raptors had a very eventful 2025 NBA trade deadline, compared to some of their moves in years past. Of course last year, despite not being deadline moves per se, the Raptors shook up their core by parting ways with both OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam.
Usually at the deadline, fans have come to expect Masai Ujiri to make minor moves which largely signals Toronto’s desire to be buyers and chase assets to help win-now motivations. Thaddeus Young, Jakob Poeltl, and Kelly Olynyk are just some names that come to mind.
The talk of the town in Raptors nation is their big swing to acquire All-Star wing Brandon Ingram, but another move made on deadline day, while not as impressive, still holds the potential to be a quality move for Toronto nonetheless. As the 3 p.m. ET deadline drew near, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke the news on X:
The Indiana Pacers are trading James Wiseman and cash to the Toronto Raptors, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 6, 2025
James Wiseman, the former 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has largely been viewed as a bust over the course of his underwhelming career. He never quite lived up to the hype, not filling into his envisioned role in Golden State, a brief stint spent in Detroit, and then signing a two-year minimum deal with Indiana this past offseason.
Wiseman's career stats are as follows: 9.1 points (on 56% field goal efficiency) and 5.6 rebounds on an average of 18.9 minutes played per game.
The string of bad luck would follow Wiseman to his new home as the 23-year-old suffered a shattering Achilles tendon injury in the Pacers’ season opener on October 23. Seeing as Wiseman served no purpose to the playoff-hopeful Pacers moving forward, his salary would be absorbed by the Toronto Raptors, but what are the implications going forward.
Does the James Wiseman acquisition mean anything for Raptors?
Well, Blake Murphy of Sportsnet would report the asset details of this Wiseman transaction on X:
Raptors are sending out a top-55 protected future 2nd to the Pacers in the James Wiseman trade, and receiving cash back.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) February 6, 2025
Basically a "fake 2nd" that only conveys if the Raptors become elite. HAVE to send something out.
Raps get a Wiseman rehab look ahead of 25-26 team option.
So in essence, the Raptors merely gave up a phantom pick to acquire Wiseman. Sure, he might be rendered useless this year, and there’s also a chance Toronto opts to simply decline his team option in the offseason. Then again, the Raptors coaching staff have shown to be experts at extracting potential out of seemingly hopeless prospects (looking at you Ochai Agbaji, well done).
Wiseman fits the Raptors timeline as a young center with room for upside, barring any huge slump in his on-court ability after a crushing injury like an Achilles-related matter. Is he a top-end talent from the 2020 draft class in hindsight. Probably not. But does Wiseman still have a future in this league? Absolutely.
In a best-case scenario, Wiseman pans out as another steal for Masai Ujiri to boast. If he doesn’t, and they choose to waive him, well it’s not that serious either. It’s like betting a nickel to win a dollar.
It's important to note too, that in a later X post by Blake Murphy, he stated the following: "Hearing team may not take a look at Wiseman, could just be a cash-for-waive move." So, keep that in mind too, Wiseman's stint in Toronto could be like that Grandpa Simpson meme.