Moving on from Andrew Wiggins was a heartbreaking step for the Golden State Warriors to take in February, but ultimately a necessary one as the acquisition of Jimmy Butler proved fruitful over the remainder of the season.
Just over six months on from his time with the Miami Heat and Wiggins is again garnering trade speculation, with the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly interested in the former Warrior should he be on the table.
NBA insider Marc Stein outlined the Lakers potential search for a two-way wing on Monday, specifically mentioning Wiggins as a player they'd be interested in after securing Luka Doncic to a new three-year, $165 million extension.
Lakers could crush Warriors dream starting lineup
There's little doubt Wiggins would be an excellent fit for the Lakers as a third or fourth option to complement Doncic and veteran superstar LeBron James, but there's also an irony in that he'd now be an equally great fit on the current Warrior roster.
Having secured Butler as a second option by trading Wiggins, Golden State could now do with a third option to lessen the burden slightly on he and Curry. Jonathan Kuminga has the ability to undertake that from an individual scoring standpoint, but his fit with Curry and Butler remains a concern despite his explosion during the second-round of the playoffs after the 2x MVP was sidelined by a hamstring injury.
No such concerns would exist with Wiggins who is both a far better off-ball catch-and-shoot threat than Kuminga, while also a more consistent defender at this stage even if the 22-year-old has shown glimpses on that end.
Wiggins also knows his role as a veteran at this point of his career, rather than Kuminga who is still trying to figure out exactly who he is and who retains the ambition of being a multi-time All-Star throughout his career.
Reacquiring Wiggins right now is practically impossible for the Warriors from a salary matching standpoint, but that suddenly changes mid-season if Kuminga remains on the team and is on a contract north of $20 million annually.
Miami have had slight interest in Kuminga previously, meaning that swapping him for Wiggins isn't entirely implausible if Golden State throw in the necessary sweeteners to make a deal happen in January or February.
It would leave them with a potential dream starting lineup of Curry, Wiggins, Butler, Draymond Green and Al Horford -- an old team with athletic deficiencies, but also one who could excel on both sides of the floor with their experience and IQ.
That's a tantalizing idea to even think about, but of course any hope of that could come crashing down if the Lakers managed to nab Wiggins beforehand. Given the Warriors couldn't make a deal until mid-season, there's plenty of time for the Lakers to step in and crush that dream before it even becomes a possibility.