The Warriors may be hunting for a wing, but the bigger name to watch right now is Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State is still working the market after Kristaps Porzingis’ time with the team, and possibly his NBA run, appears to be over. That leaves the Warriors looking for ways to turn Porzingis’ contract into something useful, even if the return is just a rotation piece they can later include in a bigger deal closer to the trade deadline. The front office has a reputation for being aggressive, so every option is going to get a look.
One team worth keeping an eye on is New Orleans. The Pelicans are still asking for a steep return on their top trade pieces, but another disappointing season under a new head coach could eventually push them into action. If that happens, the Warriors could try to get involved for someone like Yves Missi or Trey Murphy III.
Miami, though, is the team that makes the most sense when it comes to Wiggins. The Heat came into the season with huge expectations after their trade for Giannis Antetokounpo, but the results have been rough. They’re 20th in offensive rating and 26th in defensive rating, and while their game against Golden State on the second night of a back-to-back isn’t the cleanest measuring stick, it still leaves a bad look for a team that just swung big for a superstar.
That’s why a move feels likely at some point this season, and Wiggins stands out as the most obvious candidate.
His night against the Warriors summed up the concern. After getting blocked on his second drive of the game, he faded into the background, finishing with just two points, six rebounds and four assists while hitting one of six shots. He has scored in single digits in each of Miami’s last three games, and he’s shooting 40.8% from the field this season.
The Heat need more reliable 3-point shooting and better wing production, and moving off Wiggins’ two-year, $33 million deal with a player option might be their clearest route to finding it. That doesn’t mean he can’t fit in Miami’s offense, but if the Heat are sorting through trade candidates, he looks like the most natural one.
There’s a theoretical path where Golden State and Miami build a deal around Porzingis’ contract, with Wiggins and another player heading back the other way - maybe even Klay Thompson. But Miami has no reason to absorb Porzingis’ dead money, which means a third team would have to jump in to make the finances work. That would likely force the Warriors to send out more draft capital than they’d want to part with just to get the conversation started.
A more realistic Heat move would be packaging Wiggins’ salary for a steadier offensive piece. Names like Kyrie Irving and Zach Lavine have been mentioned as possible targets, and those ideas make more sense for Miami than anything tied to Porzingis. Golden State doesn’t have that kind of player to offer.
For the Warriors, the likeliest Porzingis path would be sending his contract to a team with enough room under the first apron to absorb it, along with some second-round draft capital. That may be their only real route, which would probably knock Wiggins out of the picture.
Even so, his status is worth watching. Warriors fans know he can give more than he has in Miami so far this season, and that alone makes him a name to track.
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Niangs fit has been noticeable enough to invite comparisons to Otto Porter Jr., whose value in Golden State came from doing the little things that helped the stars around him. There is also a familiar feel to the way this roster is coming together, with some of the same connective tissue that defined the Warriors 2021-22 championship run beginning to show again. [Read more 🡒]