Jeremiah Wright wasn't all that prominent until Obama became a serious contender for the white house. I don't know Obama personally, but I don't think he had his eyes on the white house back in 2001 or 2002. There was some speech he made at the DNC, maybe in 2003 or 04 that brought him notoriety.
If he saw this coming, I think he would tried to "head it off at the pass".