The Golden State Warriors are scheduled to face the Minnesota Timberwolves in the next round of the NBA playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors’ Game 7 victory set up an exciting Western Conference semi-final matchup against the Minnesota Timber Wolves.
This attacks the Warriors towards Anthony Edwards, which is unstoppable after eliminating LeBron James and La Lakers.
For Anthony Edwards, the situation also has a personal element. Perhaps not, as we look back at a phenomenal missed opportunity within the Golden State Warriors front office.
Anthony Edwards was the overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Golden State Warriors had a second overall pick, selected James Wiseman and handed the three of them a lamello ball that they had gone to the Charlotte Hornets.
However, in a question about Edwards, Brian Windholst revealed how he tried to trade the number one pick in Golden State, which the Minnesota Timberwolves turned down in a focus on Wiseman.
Windhorst told the Hoop Collective Podcast in 2021:
“They were trying to get the Warriors to be interested in the top, from what I was told to them until they came on the watch.”
He pointed out that the Warriors own a Timberwolves draft pick in 2021 and are interested in retrieving it as part of the deal.
“The Warriors were really locked up by James Wiseman,” he added.
Timberwolves has removed top prospects from the board, whether they’re concerned or not, because they can’t trade number one choice.
Edwards is tilted as the “face of the NBA” whether he likes it or not, and can move this one more forward when he leads his team past Golden State in the NBA playoffs.
In the past 2024-25 regular season, Edwards averaged 26.0 points per game in four games against the Warriors.
The data provided via SOFA scores show how they added an efficient three-point shooting element to the game, scoring at a rate of 43.6% to score more than any player in the league.
The Golden State Warriors saw James Wiseman as a ready-to-read prospect to make an impact and make a quick start to rebuild.
Now in 2025, James Wiseman is currently out of the NBA while the Warriors prepare to face Edwards and the Timberwolves.
Wiseman suffered a knee injury requiring surgery after playing only 39 games in his rookie season.
In 2023 he was traded for the Detroit Pistons and later traded with the Indiana Pacers. Wiseman suffered an injury to Achilles earlier this season and was dumped with the Toronto Raptors before his salary was waived.
Wiseman’s career is not over, but Golden State has not transformed into the player he wanted him to.
The following year, amid a desire to hold the pick, in the 2021 draft, the Warriors scored a 7th overall pick through Minnesota, using it to select Jonathan Kminga, and earned one pick before Franz Wagner.
Kuminga’s future in Golden State is being questioned after failing to beat Steve Kerr and in the playoff series on Rocket, where he played in three of his seven games.