The Golden State Warriors took some risk last season when they traded away Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat in the Jimmy Butler trade. However, the move has seemed to work out for both parties given the former forward is now thriving in South Beach.
Wiggins just had a game-winning alley-oop for the Heat earlier this week and has been playing very solid basketball. He is shooting 52.8% from the field and is shooting 40% from three-point range while averaging 17.8 points per game.
Andrew Wiggins is thriving in significant role with the Heat
Those are all really solid stats as Wiggins has seemed to ingratiate himself quite well in a Miami offense that has been missing star players Tyler Herro and more recently Bam Adebayo. The Heat are 7-5 on the season and look to have some promising pieces that include Kel'el Ware and improved play from third-year guard Jaime Jaquez Jr.
It was tough for Golden State to part ways with Wiggins last season. He was an integral part of the team's championship during the 2021-2022 season, and his story as a top pick who flamed out with the team that drafted him before finally finding success on the Warriors was inspiring to watch.
Still, it seems unquestionable that it was the right move for the Warriors to make. After Golden State got Jimmy Butler in that trade, they went on a 23-8 run to finish the season and made it to the playoffs where, after winning the play-in game and beating the Houston Rockets in the first-round, they would lose to the Minnesota Timberwolves following Stephen Curryy's hamstring injury.
The Warriors have just been a different team with Butler. Even though the results have been a bit more mixed early this season, when everything clicks it seems like the Warriors have just an entirely different gear when the 6x All-Star is on the floor doing his thing.
Beyond what Butler has done on the court, he has been equally impressive off the court in his mentorship of young players like Jonathan Kuminga. For as good as Wiggins was at his best with the Warriors, he could not play the mentor role that Butler has been able to play. That leadership could pay dividends for many years for the Warriors as they hope Kuminga will be a key part of the next championship core of the team.
There is always the chance that the Warriors could reunite with Wiggins somewhere down the line, but it seems like the two sides parting ways has been an amicable split that has benefited both sides. Golden State will get a chance to see Wiggins next week when they face the Heat in Miami.