"He was very relieved": Steve Kerr uncovers truth around Warriors' veteran's trade deadline scare
Steve Kerr knew the Golden State Warriors front office could make roster moves before the trade deadline. GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. could make headline-grabbing changes due to the Warriors’ struggles and their healthy luxury tax bill. Steph Curry also seemed to plead for help following their 141-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 10.
The trade deadline came and the Warriors surprisingly almost just stood pat. Their only move was to send Cory Joseph, a second-round pick and cash considerations to the Indiana Pacers for a 2024 second-round pick. It was a deal that had nothing to do with the Warriors’ championship aspirations this season.
Dunleavy decided to keep the veteran core of the team, including Andrew Wiggins, the hottest name on the rumor trade mill for Golden State. Steve Kerr had this to say about how Wiggins keeping his spot on the roster:
"[Wiggins] definitely wanted to stay. I talked to him the night of the trade deadline, he was very relieved. I was relieved too. I love Wiggs and I really wanted him here. I know what he can do. I know what he means to the team, the whole team loves him."
Andrew Wiggins’ struggles started during the 2022-23 campaign when he played just 37 games. By the start of this season, he hardly resembled the player that some considered was the 2022 NBA Finals MVP over Steph Curry. “Wiggs” played so badly that Steve Kerr had to remove him from the starting lineup.
Wiggins is averaging 12.5 ppg, nearly six points lower than what he contributed to the Warriors last season. His 3-point efficiency also significantly dropped, hitting 33.1% of his 3s compared to last season’s 39.6% clip. Rumors came out that the Warriors were open to trading him to retool the roster.
Steve Kerr had a feeling Warriors were not trading Andrew Wiggins
In mid-December, Andrew Wiggins had struggled so badly that Steve Kerr demoted him to the bench. The multi-titled coach only re-inserted him into the starting lineup on Jan. 12 against the Chicago Bulls. Wiggins has been part of the opening unit since then when healthy.
Kerr’s plan to use Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga at the same time was a disaster in the beginning. But the two have steadily learned to adjust to each other, which gave the coach reason to retain both in the first five.
Gradually, Andrew Wiggins regained his rhythm and confidence. Despite the persistent rumors, Steve Kerr was quietly confident the forward wasn’t going anywhere. Here’s what Kerr had to say about “Wiggs” before the trade deadline:
"I think he's playing well. I'm very hopeful, and I expect him to be here when the trade deadline passes. He's been a big part of our team now for years, helped us win a title a year and a half ago, still has a lot of career ahead of him."
In the end, both got what they hoped for. Now it’s time to buckle up and see how far the Warriors can go this season without making significant moves before the trade deadline. Only time will tell if Dunleavy made the right call or not.