Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins may have played himself off the hot seat

The Golden State Warriors traded for Andrew Wiggins prior to the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline. It was a shocking move that many didn’t love, but Wiggins has played well over the past season. He may have played himself off the trade block which he was inevitably going to be on.

It was surprising to many because Wiggins didn’t have a great reputation coming into his stint with the Warriors.

With the Golden State Warriors potentially ready to enhance their roster, Andrew Wiggins could be traded, but his play this past season makes that unlikely.

His percentages were low and there was a stigma that he didn’t play much defense. He had multiple seasons in which he put up over 20 points per game, but those didn’t translate into All-Star appearances nor his team making the playoffs on a consistent basis.

As many players have proven, culture matters, and the Warriors have one that helped play to Wiggins’s strengths. He was able to focus on defense and be a secondary playmaker. He was seldom also used as a spot-up shooter.

Alongside Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Wiggins found his footing in the Bay Area, and he turned a new leaf as a player. His percentages from both the field and from downtown were at career-high levels.

The former No. 1 overall pick shot 47.7 percent from the field. From deep, he was connecting on 38 percent of his attempts. It was an all-around impressive season in terms of his improved efficiency. His free-throw percentage was even the best in the last four years as well.

Now, despite thriving with the Warriors, averaging 18.6 points per game and becoming their second-leading scorer as Klay Thompson remained sidelined, Wiggins could still be dealt. His contract is just that bad that it handicaps the Warriors from improving much in free agency.

Wiggins is set to make over $31 million next season and over $33 million in the last year of his contract.

Golden State needs to get off it, but it would take some additional pieces being dealt. We dove into ten All-Stars they should trade James Wiseman for, and that would likely also include Wiggins to make the value and contracts match.

The options may be there, but if Wiggins is dealt, it will be a blockbuster deal and the Warriors should be becoming a title contender. It’s almost necessary to take that next step, but his improved play with the team makes it difficult to consider.

Nonetheless, Wiggins shouldn’t be on the trading block even if he’s eventually included in a trade because of his contract.