The Golden State Warriors would do last year's trade for Jimmy Butler 100x over, but that doesn't mean the franchise isn't missing 2022 NBA champion Andrew Wiggins.
The Warriors not only lost Wiggins, but they lost a player in the middle of his prime from a roster that significantly lacks just that type of player, with ESPN's Anthony Slater outlining the franchise's need to rectify that problem this offseason.
Warriors losing Andrew Wiggins is hitting harder than expected
When asked what age of player Golden State should be targeting this offseason, Slater told 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs that they need a couple in the middle of their prime, rather a roster consisting of guys on either end of their careers.
"You probably want a couple more mid-prime. That's been I think the problem over the last few years. Like even remember you trade Andrew Wiggins. It's like man you traded one of the guys that was like late 20's, mid to late 20s," Slater said.
While Slater also mentioned Jonathan Kuminga in the same conversation, that's a little different considering Wiggins was a proven championship piece who brought a level of consistency and reliability that the former seventh overall pick never sustained before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in February.
Anthony Slater says the Warriors probably want to add "a couple more mid-prime" guys to the roster this Summer.
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 20, 2026
"You don't want to be loaded with 19-year-olds and 37-year-olds."@anthonyVslater | @WillardAndDibs pic.twitter.com/J2c8hR8NYh
Not only are the Warriors missing that age of player, but they're also missing the exact type of two-way wing Wiggins developed into while at the franchise, having lost Butler and Moses Moody to long-term knee injuries that will now bleed into next season.
Warriors age demographic isn't suitable for success
Slater certainly has a point when it comes to the age demographic of the roster and the need to address it this summer. Golden State only had five players on this season's roster aged between 26-30, and none of them were a bonafide starter when the team was healthy.
Of the five players, three of them (Pat Spencer, Malevy Leons and Nate Williams) were on a two-way contract for either the entire season or much of it. Omer Yurtseven was only around for a pair of 10-day contracts and played just nine games for the franchise, while the most impactful of the five, De'Anthony Melton, was coming off a torn ACL in December and needed to be managed for much of the remainder of the season.
Trading Wiggins for Butler was a nod from the Warriors that they needed more help for Stephen Curry in the short-term. While they were instantly rewarded as Butler helped them reach the second-round of last year's playoffs, there's no doubt they would have loved to keep a player like Wiggins alongside their veteran star duo.
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