The once-dominant Golden State Warriors are not having a great season. Draymond Green’s ban, along with age and injury concerns, have been catching up.
It’s caused what appears to be a suddenly mediocre club to have an average season. The most recent instance occurred on Thursday during a home loss to a Miami Heat squad that was missing Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors’ window is definitely shutting if it hasn’t already slammed shut. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine them continuing as they are now designed.
According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, that very well might make small forward Andrew Wiggins a trade candidate.
Wiggins played a key role in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run. Since then, he has improved, but not significantly. Furthermore, Wiggins has struggled to perform when paired with fellow forward Jonathan Kuminga, as Kawakami pointed out.
“Grand ripple effect No. 1: If they can’t play together, the Warriors will almost certainly have to choose Wiggins or Kuminga for the long term,” Kawakami wrote. “With Kuminga coming up on his rookie-extension negotiations, the Warriors probably have to make this decision very soon.”
What if the Warriors determine that Kuminga is the most qualified candidate going forward?
“Though I’ve said in the past that the Warriors might be reluctant to trade Wiggins so soon after he signed a relatively bargain-rate contract extension specifically so he could remain with this team, I’ve since heard that this would not be a major barrier for the Warriors to explore Wiggins’ trade market,” Kawakami wrote. “Especially if he can’t play with Kuminga and the Warriors decide that Kuminga is their full-time small forward.”
In summary, Golden State cannot continue as is and hope to achieve anything exceptional. You can’t help but ponder what actions would come next knowing that.
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