Getty Andrew Wiggins drives for a layup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Andrew Wiggins was a key starter for the Golden State Warriors last season, providing strong defense on the wing and a reliable scoring option behind Steph Curry.
But his future with the team appears unclear, with his name tossed around in a number of trade rumors. One report suggests that Wiggins’ play in the Olympic qualifying tournament could help boost his stock with trade partners — and potentially seal his fate with the Warriors.
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Wiggins Stands Out
Team Canada faced a difficult task this month, trying to play through a qualifying tournament with just one bid for the Tokyo Olympics available, and doing so without the injured Jamal Murray. Though the team ultimately fell short, losing to Czech Republic in overtime of an elimination game, Wiggins stood out as the team’s most efficient and effective player. With time winding down against Czech Republic, he hit a fadeaway three-pointer to send the game to overtime, and hit another jumper with 20 seconds left in the extra frame to tie the score, but Czech guard Tomas Satoransky nailed the game-winning shot with 1.8 seconds left.
ANDREW WIGGINS TIES THE GAME! 🇨🇦
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As Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, the clutch performances from Wiggins over the course of the qualifying tournament could make him even more attractive for trade partners.
“The Warriors have to remember what Wiggins did for them this season. There is a possibility that is who he will continue to be, as well as continuing to blossom for Golden State,” Andrews said. “But the Warriors might have to take that chance. Trading Wiggins will have to be for a bonafide star in return, not just as a throw-in piece because of matching salaries.”
Wiggins Could Head Home
One of the most popular trade rumors has the Warriors landing big man Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, and most scenarios include Wiggins being included in the deal. The move would not only allow the Toronto-area native to come back home, it would also help match salaries in a deal that most insiders believe would feature young big man James Wiseman and at least one of Golden State’s lottery picks.
The only Canadian-born player in the league with 10,000 points: Andrew Wiggins.
There are others who believe that Wiggins’ rising stock could actually help him stay with the Warriors next season, when Klay Thompson returns and the team hopes to jump back into title contention. He was a strong fit alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green, a strong wing defender and often the second scoring option. The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami noted that Warriors may be reluctant to include Wiggins as a throw-in, especially given his increasing value to the team.
“To acquire a big-salaried player such as [Ben] Simmons, Siakam (both making $33 million in 2021-22) or Lillard ($43.8 million), the Warriors would have to include Wiggins’ salary to make the trade work. And the Warriors would not want to throw away the value of Wiggins, which they just resuscitated, only to make the money work,” he wrote. “They’d want value back, which is not likely to occur.”
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