Getty Andrew Wiggins being guarded by Brandon Ingram during a January 10 game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Golden State Warriors entered the 2024 offseason with aspirations of adding more scoring next to Stephen Curry, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. As of August 17, they’ve yet to do so.
“Entering the offseason, the Golden State Warriors’ front office identified the need for a more established second scorer next to Stephen Curry as a high priority, team sources said,” Slater wrote on August 15.
After striking out on trades for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George, Brandon Ingram could emerge as a potential target.
A trade for the 26-year-old forward would require Andrew Wiggins to match salaries, and likely a pick in order for the New Orleans Pelicans take that salary on for the remaining three years.
Warriors receive: Ingram
Pelicans receive: Wiggins, Kevon Looney, Gui Santos, 2026 first-round pick
Ingram is coming off of his eighth NBA season, and his fifth with the Pelicans. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.7 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 64 regular-season appearances last season.
Brandon Ingram Would Add Secondary Scorer
Ingram would provide a secondary scoring punch behind Curry that they haven’t had in years. A once historically infallible Golden State offense has fallen off outside of the star point guard.
Last season, with Curry off the floor, the Warriors scored just 115.2 points per 100 possessions. That ranks in the 50th percentile, and coincided with the team being outscored by 0.5 points per.
But even with Curry on the floor, Golden State scored just 119.3 points per 100 possessions, which ranks in the 79th percentile.
Last season was only the second since 2015 in which the Warriors didn’t boast two 20 points per game scorers. The other was the year Klay Thompson missed with injury.
Ingram would, at the very least, replace the scoring lost in Thompson’s absence. And he’d add some variety to an offense that is in need of retooling. 775 of Ingram’s 1017 field goal attempts last season were two pointers. No one in Golden State took more than 697 (Jonathan Kuminga) two-point shots last season.
Andrew Wiggins Future in Golden State Uncertain
With three years remaining on his contract, Wiggins seems unlikely to finish out the deal with the Warriors.
Logan Murdock of The Ringer reported on June 26 that Golden State was planning to aggressively shop the forward this summer.
“League sources believe Andrew Wiggins, who struggled to find a consistent role last season, will be aggressively dangled in trade talks,” Murdock wrote.
Wiggins is coming off of his 10th NBA season and his fourth full year with the Warriors. His points per game average has decreased each season he’s spent with the team, and finished at 13.2 last year.
Attaching the 29-year-old with a first-round pick to acquire Ingram shouldn’t be a tall order for Golden State’s front office. They were willing to include multiple picks in a deal for George or Markkanen, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“The Warriors had Paul George and Lauri Markkanen atop a select wish list of realistically available and appealing players and chased both, in that order,” Slater wrote. “They were willing to sacrifice a chunk of their first-round draft capital and a slice of their youth movement.”
As the Warriors look to maximize the championship window of Steph Curry, utilizing Wiggins’ contract gives them the best chance at adding more firepower. Brandon Ingram represents one option that could be accomplished prior to the 2024-2025 season’s start.
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