{"id":73899,"date":"2024-04-18T13:25:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=73899"},"modified":"2024-04-18T13:25:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T17:25:21","slug":"nba-rumors-warriors-andrew-wiggins-offseason-trade-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/04\/18\/nba-rumors-warriors-andrew-wiggins-offseason-trade-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Rumors: Warriors Star to be in Offseason Trade Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andrew Wiggins<\/a> has had yet another up-and-down season in 2023-24. After appearing to get his career on track with the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, his personal issues<\/a> and inconsistency have led to him becoming their most expendable starter.<\/p>\n

Indeed, according to The Ringer\u2019s Logan Murdock, \u201cleague sources believe Andrew Wiggins will be included in trade talks this summer as the Warriors look to improve their roster<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Andrew Wiggins to be Included in Offseason Trade Talks?<\/h2>\n

Over the past two seasons, Wiggins has averaged 14.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game. He\u2019s been relatively efficient overall, shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from 3. However, in between the start of the 2023-24 season and the All-Star Break, he only managed to convert 34.2 percent of his 3s.<\/p>\n

Now, with the evolution of Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>, the Warriors are considering whether there\u2019s too much overlap between he and Wiggins to move forward with the frontcourt pairing.<\/p>\n

Roster Redundancies?<\/h3>\n

As a starter, Kuminga has averaged 17.2 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the field. An athletic downhill scorer, Kuminga\u2019s on-ball defense and 3-point shooting aren\u2019t refined enough to be relied upon. Yet, at 21 years old, he has the potential for exponential growth<\/a> in those areas.<\/p>\n

With that said, Wiggins has<\/em> taken a step back from his All-Star performance in 2021-22. Nonetheless, he\u2019s still their most reliable 3-and-D wing. As a result, while there are some roster redundancies, it\u2019s not a black-and-white situation.<\/p>\n

Klay Thompson<\/h4>\n

Klay Thompson<\/a>\u2019s decline has been well-documented. Thompson remains a potent 3-point threat, making 39.7 percent of his 3s over the past three seasons. However, his lateral agility and perimeter defense are far from what they used to be.<\/p>\n

Moses Moody<\/h4>\n

Third-year guard Moses Moody<\/a> is an effective defender with a respectable career 3-point percentage (36.2). However, he\u2019s significantly less experienced than Wiggins and there will be a learning curve as he adjusts to being a full-time starter. Furthermore, he\u2019ll be a restricted free agent in next offseason.<\/p>\n

Brandin Podziemski<\/h4>\n

Lastly, though rookie Brandin Podziemski<\/a> made 38.5 percent of his 3s, he\u2019s more of a Swiss Army Knife than defensive specialist. A connector that averaged 5.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, Podziemski is at his best when making plays with the ball in his hands.<\/p>\n

Andrew Wiggins Likely to Return<\/h3>\n

In assessing Wiggins\u2019 future with the Warriors, the main question is whether they can replace him with players currently on the roster.<\/p>\n

Right now, the answer is unclear, largely because Moody hasn\u2019t often played extended minutes. Yet, due to that uncertainty, it\u2019s impossible to comfortably say they should trade the former No. 1 pick. If Golden State loses Thompson in free agency (and there\u2019s a real chance that they may<\/a>), Wiggins becomes that much more valuable.<\/p>\n

Wiggins\u2019 contract could also prove to be an obstacle in a potential deal.<\/p>\n

In trading Wiggins, the intent would be to get a better player. Those types of transactions usually require draft compensation or young prospects. In the Warriors\u2019 case, this could require them to part ways with Moody, Podziemski, or Trayce Jackson-Davis<\/a>. Golden State also has five first-round picks through the 2030 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

However, Wiggins is owed $74.7 million over the next three seasons. As a result, several teams could balk at the idea of acquiring him. This is particularly true of players with poor reputations, like Wiggins.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, when considering that Wiggins could be their best 3-and-D player at what they may have to surrender in a Wiggins trade, it\u2019s hard to believe that trading him is their best course of action.<\/p>\n

Barring a blockbuster trade spurred by a star\u2019s soured mood or a franchise\u2019s disenchantment with said player, the most likely scenario is that he returns.<\/p>\n

Chris Paul Trade on the Horizon?<\/h3>\n

19-year veteran Chris Paul<\/a> may be Golden State\u2019s most likely trade candidate.<\/p>\n

A strange fit with the Warriors from the time he was acquired, Paul has a partially guaranteed $30 million expiring contract next season. Due to his accomplishments, experience, knowledge, leadership, and ability, multiple teams could target Paul in a trade.<\/p>\n

The up-and-coming Orlando Magic could make use of his 3-point prowess and playoff experience. Such a deal could lead to the Warriors acquiring draft assets as they eye the post-Stephen Curry Era.<\/p>\n

The New Orleans Pelicans are also on the rise. A point guard-needy team, a return to the franchise that drafted him could be in the cards. In such a scenario, the Warriors could be inclined to acquire defensive-minded forward Naji Marshall<\/a> in addition to draft compensation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Andrew Wiggins has had yet another up-and-down season in 2023-24. After appearing to get his career on track with the Golden State Warriors in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, his personal issues and inconsistency have led to him becoming their most expendable starter. Indeed, according to The Ringer\u2019s Logan Murdock, \u201cleague sources believe Andrew Wiggins […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":73900,"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":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,1608,62,33,3,17,4721],"tags":[212,229,4297,70,4557,4774],"class_list":["post-73899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-warriors","category-basketball","category-nba","category-pelicans","category-news","category-magic","category-trade-rumors","tag-andrew-wiggins","tag-chris-paul","tag-jonathan-kuminga","tag-klay-thompson","tag-nba-offseason","tag-rumors"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73899","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\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73899\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}