NBA Rumors: Golden State Warriors Reveal Plan For Andrew Wiggins In 2020-21 Season
Hours before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors engaged in a blockbuster deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and future draft picks. However, though he managed to fill the huge hole Kevin Durant left in their wing, Wiggins still faces rumors of uncertainty about his future with the Warriors. Given the Warriors’ goal of immediately returning to title contention next season, several trade speculations suggested that Golden State could use Wiggins as the main trade chip to acquire a fourth superstar in the 2020 NBA offseason.
The Warriors have a realistic chance of acquiring an All-Star caliber player this summer. Aside from Wiggins, they also possess two very intriguing trade assets — their own 2020 first-round pick, which is expected to be a top-3 pick, and the Timberwolves’ 2021 first-round pick. However, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, the Warriors didn’t trade for Wiggins just to move him again but to make him their starting small forward alongside the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in the 2020-21 season.
“Ask anyone in the organization — during their private or public moments — they got Wiggins with the expectation that he’ll be their starting small forward next season, not just a matching contract to flip (like they did with D’Angelo Russell),” Slater wrote, as quoted by NBC Sports.
Though he’s still far from being considered a legitimate NBA superstar, Wiggins is indeed capable of filling the hole Durant left in the Warriors. With the presence of Green on the Warriors, Wiggins would have a veteran mentor that could help him improve his performance, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Also, with plenty of time left before the start of the 2020-21 NBA season, Wiggins would have more opportunities to familiarize himself with Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr’s system and learn how to efficiently co-exist with Curry, Thompson, and Green.
However, despite Slater’s revelations, there’s no 100 percent assurance that Wiggins will really still be a Warrior next season, especially if a player like Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes available on the trade market in the 2020 offseason. As mentioned in a previous The Inquisitr article, the Warriors are expected to do everything they can to bring Antetokounmpo to the Golden State once the Bucks start listening to offers for the reigning MVP this summer. The Warriors reportedly view Antetokounmpo as the “ideal superstar” to carry the team in the post-Curry era.
