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The Golden State Warriors will look a bit different next season, and the team is hoping some of the youth on the roster can help return the franchise into being a contender. With NBA free agency winding down, the Warriors could turn to the trade market in order to improve the team.
Bleacher Report’s Allen Stiles offered a potential trade pitch that has the Warriors landing Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vučević. Golden State sends Andrew Wiggins to Chicago in the proposed trade.
One caveat, this deal would make a lot more sense if the Bulls are able to trade Zach LaVine. As things stand now, Chicago would also need to add a bit more salary for this deal to work within the cap rules.
“You know he [Vučević] can score the basketball,” Stiles explained during a July 17, 2024, live stream. “You know he can rebound the basketball. So, the Warriors get even bigger. And then you have the Bulls going to a guy who maybe it’s just time for another fresh start in Andrew Wiggins, alright.
“It was seen as a good deal at the time coming off of that finals run. So, you got three more years on that deal [four-year, $109 million contract]. … If they’re able to get off of Zach LaVine, and they lose a pick, because that was what was reported. Okay, we need somebody. I would say that Andrew Wiggins is some multiverse version of a Zach LaVine.”
Bulls 2-Time All-Star Nikola Vučević Would Be an Alternative Warriors Trade to Jazz Big Man Lauri Markkanen
For the Warriors, this would be a cheaper alternative to trading for Utah Jazz big man Lauri Markkanen. Vučević does not have the same upside as Markkanen, but the center is less expensive in two key ways.
Namely, Golden State would not need to give up the haul that Utah is seeking for Markkanen. The Jazz star is also headed for a lucrative contract extension.
Vučević has two seasons remaining on a three-year, $60 million contract and has a $20 million cap hit in 2024-25. The veteran is a two-time All-Star whose strength is scoring in the low post. Vučević averaged 18 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in 76 appearances last season.
The Warriors Are Expected to Explore Trades for Andrew Wiggins: Insider
This would also be a cost savings move for the Warriors as Wiggins still has three seasons remaining on a four-year, $109 million deal. Wiggins has a sizable $26.2 million cap hit next season but still has plenty left in the tank at 29 years old.
The former No. 1 pick may be in need of a fresh start. Golden State did not allow Wiggins to play for Canada in the 2024 Olympics. The Ringer’s Logan Murdock reported that the Warriors are expected to explore trades for Wiggins this offseason.
“League sources believe Andrew Wiggins will be included in trade talks this summer as the Warriors look to improve their roster,” Murdock wrote in an April 17, story titled, “What Will Become of the Golden State Warriors?” “During the 2022 title run, Wiggins was arguably Golden State’s second-best player, averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 boards in the playoffs and producing timely shots and great defense in the Finals.
“The Warriors signed him to a four-year, $109 million extension that fall, but his Golden State tenure has been frustrating since the ink dried.”
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