7 players Warriors might replace Andrew Wiggins with by trade deadline

1. Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors have one player who can consistently create advantages and drive offense, and that is Stephen Curry. Chris Paul can conduct an offense, as can Draymond Green, and both Klay Thompson and Jonathan Kuminga can take the ball and make something happen in addition to being excellent play finishers.

If the Warriors want a second player to create offense, however, they need to look elsewhere. Brandon Ingram becomes an intriguing option to fill that role. He is not the best fit on a New Orleans Pelicans team that is stuffed with forwards and needs someone who can both shoot and defend opposing guards, but Andrew Wiggins would be. Perhaps the Pelicans could be incentivized to trade for Wiggins and send Ingram to San Francisco.

On the Warriors, Ingram can be a secondary scorer and benefit from Paul and Green setting him up, while on the defensive end, he is helped by playing alongside players like Green, Kevon Looney and Gary Payton II. Ingram may be ill-served by the construct of the roster around him, or he may be a floor-raising scorer who doesn’t scale to better teams.

Whether it’s a veteran forward or a rising star, there are a number of options available for the Warriors to pursue. Even mired in a slump Wiggins will have value around the league because of his skillset and the position he plays, giving the Warriors a starting point for a blockbuster trade.