Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Gary Payton II #8 and Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins will return against the Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, one day before the February 8 trade deadline.
According to Anthony Slater, Wiggins practiced with the Warriors on Tuesday, February 6, after exiting the team’s road win in Atlanta on February 6 with a sprained foot.
Wiggins has been the subject of trade rumors, drawing the most serious interest from the Dallas Mavericks over the last two weeks, per Action Network’s Matt Moore.
Wiggins had regained a semblance of his All-Star form lately since Draymond Green returned from his second suspension. The once-unplayable Wiggins-Jonathan Kuminga pairing has clicked with Green as the small-ball center.
The Wiggins-Kuminga-Green trio is plus-11.1 with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and plus-36.3 with Brandin Podziemski in Thompson’s place, per Cleaning The Glass.
Since Green rejoined the lineup, Wiggins averaged 18.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in their first seven games together. His shooting efficiency went up to 61.1% from the field and 43.8% from the 3-point line.
Wiggins, a former no. 1 pick and an All-Star in 2022, still has $85 million left in his $109 million, 4-year deal, after this season.
Other Warriors Injury Updates
The Warriors announced on Tuesday that guard Gary Payton II has been re-evaluated and is making good progress. He has begun practicing with the team. But Slater reported that the defensive specialist is “unlikely the next two games, but nearing a return.”
Payton II has missed the Warriors’ last 14 games with a grade 2 left hamstring strain. He averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 16 games this season.
On the other hand, Chris Paul also did light workouts after the Warriors’ practice, shooting and running, according to Slater.
The 38-year-old Paul has missed the last 12 games due to a second metacarpal fracture of his left hand. The veteran guard averaged 8.9 points, 7.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 32 games with the Warriors this season.
Aside from Wiggins, Paul’s name has also come up in trade rumors drawing interest from the Orlando Magic, who are fighting to move into top-6 teams in the East.
“The Magic have been on this track for over a year, looking for long-term help at point guard. They were involved in talks last year for Fred VanVleet before the Raptors held onto him (and subsequently lost him in free agency). Orlando has kicked around every potential option on the board, and the latest interest involves two veterans: Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul, according to sources,” Moore reported on February 3.
Steve Kerr Expects Warriors to Keep Chris Paul, Gary Payton II
While trade rumors are swirling around the Warriors, coach Steve Kerr remained steadfast in his belief that they can right the ship with their current roster.
“We’re not going to find better players than those guys [Chris Paul and Gary Payton II] in a trade,” Kerr said 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” show on January 31. “It’s exceedingly rare to make a deal where you can upgrade your talent to that level. I’m excited about getting those guys back. Moses [Moody] too. We’ve been shorthanded these last couple of weeks, but all three of those guys can really help us for sure.”
“I think a deal is almost always unlikely. That doesn’t mean a deal won’t happen,” Kerr continued. “The fact is, most trade deadlines, not much happens. You just try to do the best you can with what’s happening at that particular time with the team, and that’s what we are doing right now. I think we are getting better.