The Warriors initially shipped Andrew Wiggins to the Miami Heat in a trade to acquire Jimmy Butler nearly one year ago.
With Butler out for the remainder of the season, could general manager Mike Dunleavy swing a deal to retrieve the player who played a key role in the Warriors’ 2021-22 NBA title run?
It doesn’t appear he will, as ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported in a story published Thursday, citing a team source, that Golden State has not and does not plan to engage with Miami about a Wiggins trade.
Wiggins had a solid tenure with Golden State; he arrived ahead of the deadline in 2020 and departed ahead of the deadline in 2025. He earned one all-star appearance and averaged 16.7 points on 46.4-percent shooting from the field in 307 games played with the Warriors.
Although the Warriors and their fans love Wiggins, the big fish on the trade market this season is Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Warriors have expressed willingness to put a big offer on the table for the Bucks star, according to Slater.
But if the Warriors can’t reel in Antetokounmpo, there is no other player on the current trade market that could draw this “level of asset aggression” from the team, according to Slater.
Along with Wiggins, Golden State has been linked to Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. throughout the season. But “team sources continue to throw cold water on those ideas,” Slater wrote.
Slater also reports that the Warriors have “maintained” a level of interest in New Orleans Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III, but that the Pelicans front office is reluctant to break up their young core. Additionally, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, the Pelicans’ asking price could cost the Warriors three first-round picks, which might reach the level of asset aggression that Dunleavy would want to avoid for anyone who isn’t Antetokounmpo.
It might be a Giannis-or-bust trade deadline for the Warriors, and any reunions with former players seem unlikely.
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