Milwaukee Bucks Trade Rumors: NBA insider reports Warriors star forward on team's radar ahead of trade deadline
Despite being in the middle of a career-worst season, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is reportedly generating significant buzz on the NBA trade market. Among the teams connected to the former All-Star is the Milwaukee Bucks.
Both Milwaukee and Golden State are widely expected to make deals ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. The Bucks (33-17) rank just 19th in defensive rating (116.4) and have been in the market for defensive wings. Meanwhile, the Warriors (22-25) have been targeting veterans that will help them get back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
Per Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, Wiggins could be Golden State’s “ultimate swing piece” in its quest to improve before the deadline. Fischer added that the soon-to-be 29-year-old “is the Warrior who’s generated the most significant trade chatter around the league.”
As for the teams interested in Wiggins, Fischer named the Bucks and Dallas Mavericks. However, he noted that Milwaukee would need to include veteran big man Bobby Portis to match Wiggins’ $24.3 million salary in any deal.
Portis has been the Bucks’ primary backup big man since 2020 and the team’s leading bench scorer. He finished third in last year’s Sixth Man of the Year voting. The soon-to-be 29-year-old also played a key role for Milwaukee’s during its 2021 NBA title run.
Meanwhile, Wiggins has been a shell of himself on both ends of the floor this season. After starting every game over his first four seasons with the Warriors, he has been in and out of the team’s starting lineup. However, just two years ago, he was arguably the second-best player on Golden State’s 2022 title team.
Through 42 games, Wiggins is averaging 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.5 blocks and 1.0 3-pointers per game on 43.7% shooting.
Portis, on the other hand, is averaging 12.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.4 bpg and 1.1 3pg on 50.0% shooting through 50 games.
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Milwaukee Bucks hesitant to trade Bobby Portis to Warriors for Andrew Wiggins
While the Bucks are interested in Andrew Wiggins, they are reportedly hesitant to trade Bobby Portis. Per Fischer, Milwaukee highly values the veteran “not just for his shooting ability and veteran know-how but also his championship history with the franchise.”
Thus, Fischer noted that the team “is going to think long and hard before sacrificing Portis in any deal at this deadline.”
Given that Portis is putting up better stats than Wiggins while making less money ($11.7 million), it seems unlikely that a deal will get done. However, if the Bucks are desperate enough for wing defense, perhaps they will take the risk and hope Wiggins returns to his 2022 form.
Also Read: Golden State Warriors Trade Deadline: NBA Insider reports Dubs don't boast assets to move the needle