By the looks of it, the Golden State Warriors are more open to trading Andrew Wiggins now more than ever.
That doesn’t mean they are going to trade Wiggins, but nothing is stopping them from exploring potential deals for the veteran small forward if they need to. Not even Wiggins’ bargain contract that he signed in the 2022 offseason after they won the NBA title reportedly won’t hinder the Dubs from a possible trade, according to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic.
“Though I’ve said in the past that the Warriors might be reluctant to trade Wiggins so soon after he signed a relatively bargain-rate contract extension specifically so he could remain with this team, I’ve since heard that this would not be a major barrier for the Warriors to explore Wiggins’ trade market,” Kawakami wrote. “Especially if he can’t play with Jonathan Kuminga and the Warriors decide that Kuminga is their full-time small forward.”
Andrew Wiggins has largely struggled with the Warriors this 2023-24 season, though he has had moments of brilliance, it’s just hard to ignore his ineffectiveness most of the time. His pairing with Jonathan Kuminga is a huge issue as well, with Kawakami’s report even noting how they have the team-worst minus-21.4 net rating among all the different two-man combos of the Warriors.
If Wiggins continues to struggle, the Warriors might then consider moving him, especially with Kuminga thriving. In the last eight games that Kuminga has started, he has averaged 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists.
With the trade deadline coming up, Wiggins’ status is definitely something to keep an eye on. The Warriors want to keep competing for the title, so it’s almost certain they are going to do something at the deadline if their performance doesn’t improve.