{"id":61308,"date":"2024-01-11T19:09:10","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T00:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=61308"},"modified":"2024-01-11T19:09:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T00:09:10","slug":"nba-rumors-cavaliers-could-make-a-move-for-warriors-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/01\/11\/nba-rumors-cavaliers-could-make-a-move-for-warriors-star\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Cavaliers Could Make a Move for Warriors Star"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Golden State Warriors have endured a horrific campaign so far, and rumors are swirling around a fire sale involving a star player. One player who holds decent trade value is <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/wiggian01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-11_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Wiggins<\/a><\/strong>, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly interested.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Cavs could have interest in Andrew Wiggins, per <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AmicoHoops?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@AmicoHoops<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>(Via <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WYwk5KlcE3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/WYwk5KlcE3<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/xxdrP1zqAn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/xxdrP1zqAn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheDunkCentral\/status\/1745520692899025163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>NBA Rumors: Cavaliers Could Make a Move for Warriors Star<\/h2>\n<h3>The Warriors and Wiggins Are Not Working<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland famously drafted Wiggins with the first overall pick in 2014. However, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-11_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">LeBron James&#8217;<\/a><\/strong> much-publicized return led to Wiggins being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade package for<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/loveke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Love<\/a><\/strong> before he had even set foot on the court. This would be a full-circle reunion for Wiggins and the Cavaliers. It could also be a much-needed reset for the former Kansas Jayhawks star.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wiggins was terrific during the Warriors&#8217; 2022 title run. He also looked to be a mainstay with the team after an equally productive season in 2022-23. But his poor play, combined with Golden State&#8217;s dysfunctional on-court issues, led to him being benched by head coach Steve Kerr. Such a move would have been unthinkable a year ago, but the Warriors need a shakeup. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wiggins\u2019 minutes and stats are significantly down this year. He&#8217;s averaging 11.7 points on 29.8% shooting from three, as opposed to 17.1 points and 39.6% shooting from three last year. Golden State is 3-6 in their last nine games and is staring at an arduous road to make the play-in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The Cavaliers Need Help<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, the Cavaliers are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference with a solid record of 22-15, considering the injuries that have accumulated throughout the year. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Star point guard <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garlada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darius Garland<\/a><\/strong> has been out with a facial fracture since December 15th. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mobleev01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evan Mobley<\/a><\/strong>, the focal point of the Cavs\u2019 defense, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in December. He is expected to remain sidelined until early February at the earliest. Mobley is one of nine players averaging at least 15 points and 10 rebounds on 55% shooting or better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Wiggins can return to form, he would be a tremendous addition on both ends. This is especially true given his ability to guard opposing star wings and his prowess from beyond the arc.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Who Gets Traded?<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/looneke01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevon Looney<\/a><\/strong> has been subpar thus far, and the Warriors may consider asking for <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/allenja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-01-11_bbr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jarrett Allen<\/a><\/strong> in return, given their frontcourt scarcity. However, the Cavaliers may be reluctant to part with their big man, considering\u00a0Mobley\u2019s injury status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If Cleveland did deal Allen to the Warriors, they would be left with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thomptr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tristan Thompson<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jonesda03.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Jones<\/a><\/strong> as the only other true centers on the roster. Perhaps a three-team trade could be on the cards. Or, a deal involving Looney and Wiggins for Allen and another piece.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A blockbuster deal involving <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mitchdo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Donovan Mitchell<\/a><\/strong> seems far-fetched. Still, it remains a possibility as rumors continue to grow over a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2023\/12\/30\/donovan-mitchell-trade-cavaliers\/\" target=\"_self\">potential divorce<\/a> between Cleveland and the four-time All-Star.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Time to Move On<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After spending nearly two months away from the court to deal with his father\u2019s medical ailments, Wiggins has never quite looked like the star player who was so pivotal in delivering a championship to the Bay in 2022. A change of scenery might be the best idea for both parties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Golden State Warriors have endured a horrific campaign so far, and rumors are swirling around a fire sale involving a star player. One player who holds decent trade value is Andrew Wiggins, and the Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly interested.\u00a0 The Cavs could have interest in Andrew Wiggins, per @AmicoHoops (Via https:\/\/t.co\/WYwk5KlcE3) pic.twitter.com\/xxdrP1zqAn &mdash; NBACentral [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4773,"featured_media":61314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,9,2,25,62,4721],"tags":[212,1043,662],"class_list":["post-61308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-cavaliers","category-featured","category-warriors","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-andrew-wiggins","tag-jarrett-allen","tag-nba-trade-deadline"],"modified_by":"Kayla Fonte","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4773"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}