Getty Andrew Wiggins takes the ball to the hoop during an NBA Finals bout between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics.
Over the years, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob has consistently expressed a willingness to pay ungodly sums of money to field rosters that are championship ready. Last season, for example, the Dubs shelled out more than $170 million in luxury tax on top of $176-plus million in player salary.
Even so, there are limits to what the team can do where individual players are concerned. And the prevailing thought is that hard choices will have to be made going forward — just as they were this offseason when multiple players from the squad that won the title last season found new digs.
The next big domino to fall will likely come on the wing where 2022 All-Star Andrew Wiggins and up-and-comer Jordan Poole are both currently vying for extensions.
In the end, Golden State may just have to part with one of the two — even if both ballers end up getting extended in the coming months. With that in mind, one analyst envisions a scenario where the Warriors can split Wiggins’ sizeable salary slot between two players while netting draft capital in the process.
Warriors-Kings Proposal
As part of his latest batch of trade machine musings, Bleacher Report‘s Zach Buckley floated one pre-camp trade for every team in the league. For the Warriors, Buckley went with a wild swap sending Poole and former No. 2 pick James Wiseman to the Charlotte Hornets. That wasn’t the only one of his deals to involve the Dubs, though.
The other one — and, arguably, the better one — was this swap with the in-state rival Sacramento Kings:
- Golden State Warriors receive F Harrison Barnes, G/F Kevin Huerter (can’t be traded until after August 30) and a future first-round pick (top-10 protected)
- Sacramento Kings receive G/F Andrew Wiggins
As Buckley sees it, the deal would be a nice “all-in” move from the playoff-starved Kings.
“The Warriors unlocked more efficiency from Wiggins than ever, and the Kings would need to be confident he could maintain that outside of that system for this to work,” Buckley wrote. “But if his three-ball holds up, and if No. 4 pick Keegan Murray makes a speedy transition to the Association, maybe Sacramento can finally crack the postseason code.”
Of course, Golden State gains something in the trade, too.
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What the Warriors Gain
Make no mistake — no one in the Bay is looking for Wiggins to land with a team that isn’t the Warriors. In addition to becoming a first-time All-Star last season, his two-way brilliance during the playoffs helped Golden State secure the chip.
If you’re choosing between him and Poole for financial reasons, though, cashing in on Wiggins via a trade like this one may be the best intersection of remaining in the title picture, securing long-term pieces and trimming the tax bill.
With this deal, the Warriors land an old favorite with championship cred in Barnes, who is good enough as a shooter and scorer to replace what Wiggins brought offensively. Last season, Barnes averaged 16.4 PPG in Sacto and made 39.4% of his triples.
Meanwhile, his contract expires after next season and if you do decide to keep him around, he’s going to cost a lot less than Wiggins.
As for Huerter, the 24-year-old is one of the best floor-spacers in the Association, having knocked down 38% or more of his three-point attempts in three of his four professional seasons.
Then there’s the pick, which may have some protection, but could still become a nice late-lottery or mid-first-round selection, even if the Kings do make a leap. For a team like the Warriors that’s all about winning championships, that’s a rare thing to come by.
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The salaries essentially balance, so it would mean dropping Barnes or re-signing him and trading Huerter next season to make room for Poole’s bag. If the FRP features declining protection, so that it would be sure to convey eventually, then it’s worth considering