James Wiseman is getting another shot to stick in the NBA, and this time the former No. 2 overall pick will try to do it with the New York Knicks.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the 25-year-old center has signed an Exhibit 9 deal with the defending champion Knicks.
“The New York Knicks have signed former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to an Exhibit 9 deal,” Scotto wrote on X/Twitter Wednesday. “The 25-year-old center has averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game in five seasons with the Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, and Indiana Pacers.”
Wiseman’s path has been a long way from the promise he flashed at Memphis. In a shortened freshman season, he put up 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game in three outings, enough to make him look like a franchise-changing big man in the making.
The appeal was obvious. He wasn’t coming into the league as a stretch five, but teams believed he could grow into a punishing pick-and-roll option, a threat on the block, and a reliable rim-runner with real defensive upside.
For a while, there were glimpses of that with Golden State. But by his second season, the wheels had started to come off, and the Warriors moved him to Detroit during the 2022-23 season.
Wiseman spent 1.5 years with the Pistons before landing with the Indiana Pacers in 2024-25. His stint there was brief: five games, 4.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 55% shooting from the field.
He hasn’t come close to meeting the expectations that followed him into the league, but the opportunity in New York gives him a fresh path forward as the 2026-27 season approaches.
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