Warriors: Brooklyn Nets not “high” on Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole

While Kevin Durant shook the NBA up by requesting a trade, being locked up for the next four seasons doesn’t bode well for any deal actually getting done as the Nets shouldn’t be in any rush to make the trade happen.

The Warriors were a player in the saga, but interest seems to be waning. It always seemed improbable as the Nets seemed to be asking for an All-Star-level player and a slew of young talent from any team eyeing the former MVP.

The Golden State Warriors don’t seem like a huge player in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, but any hope has become even dimmer.

The Dubs have built up one of the best youth movements in the league, so tossing that all away for Durant, who will be 34 prior to the start of next season, seemed like a waste.

Then again, when a four-time scoring champion is available, most would suggest you do what it takes to bring him in. Adding Durant, as it did in 2016, instantly would make the Warriors title favorites.

However, for the Warriors to have any chance, it would require trading a player that has a max-value contract. The only one available is Andrew Wiggins, who technically was an NBA All-Star starter last season.

On top of Wiggins, the expectation was that it would cost at least Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and many picks. Even then, it could not be enough as the Nets, per Zach Lowe’s “The Lowe Post” podcast, aren’t high on Poole or Wiggins.

"“That’s where you would negotiate. You would end up keeping a Kuminga or a Moody. The issues are Wiggins and Simmons. You run into the designated rookie fiasco. The intel I have is that the Nets are not super high on Wiggins or Poole as sort of centerpiece players. Then you get to the other guys who are relatively unproven in the NBA. So I don’t know if there ever really was a deal there that the Nets would have done. Obviously, you have to explore it if you’re the Warriors,” Lowe said via Yahoo! Sports’ Ali Thanawalla."

It makes sense for Brooklyn as neither is truly proven, and the Dubs heavily limited Poole’s minutes in the playoffs cause the Celtics could’ve abused him defensively.

For Wiggins, while he’s capable of putting up 20 per game and giving terrific defense, he’s not the player that’ll truly take a team from average to a championship contender which seems to be what Brooklyn is wanting in any trade.

That said, if Poole and Wiggins don’t help budge the Nets, then it’s not going to happen. Kuminga and Wiseman have potential, but those four don’t likely get the job done if Brooklyn doesn’t value two of Golden State’s highly-touted stars.

Regardless, this trade was always a long shot for both sides.