NBA Rumors: Andrew Wiggins wants to remain with Golden State Warriors
Andrew Wiggins finally fulfilled his potential last season, helping the Golden State Warriors win the championship. Wiggins is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible to sign an extension. The latest NBA rumors suggest that the former first overall pick wants to remain in Golden State.
A Western Conference executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy.com that Wiggins is to willing to stay with the Warriors. The one-time All-Star is open to signing a new contract, which may or may not come. The exec compared Wiggnins' situation with Harrison Barnes' in 2016 but could have a different outcome.
"Wiggins is like the opposite version of Harrison Barnes, where Barnes won rings early, then wanted to get a bigger role and be the star," the executive said. "He got to do that for some bad teams. Now it's, 'Jeez, I wish I was winning again.' Wiggins is going the opposite way. He's pretty well set on staying with the Warriors, if they can pay him."
Andrew Wiggins averaged 17.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game last season. He was voted as an All-Star starter and was drafted to Team Durant. Wiggins was solid throughout the playoffs, putting up 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
He understood what he had to do to help the Warriors succeed. He defended the opposing team's best perimeter player. He also did the dirty work from getting rebounds, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. However, he also knew when to take shots at critical junctures of games.
One prime example was his Game 5 performance in the NBA Finals. Andrew Wiggins had 26 points and 13 rebounds on a night where Steph Curry was ice cold. Wiggins defended Jayson Tatum and made shots atthe other end. His dunk towards the end of the fourth quarter slammed the door shot on the Boston Celtics.
Can Golden State Warriors sign Andrew Wiggins?
As mentioned earlier, Andrew Wiggins is eligible to sign an extension with the Golden State Warriors. Wiggins is in the final year of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
However, the Warriors are in a dilemma, as Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole are also extension eligible. The team ownership may not be able to pay them all, which means one player will likely be traded or lost in free agency.
According to the aforementioned West executive, Poole might the odd man out of the four players. He will likely take a step back for a fully healthy Thompson, as Green is an indispensable member of the Warriors. The executive also pointed out that Curry won't be happy if Green or Thompson leaves.
"Klay and Draymond, though, that would be different," the executive said. "If they moved on from either one, they had better make a good case as to why to Steph, or they can alienate him. I don't know what a p***ed off Steph would be like to deal with. ...But they don't want to find out."
The Warriors won their fourth championship in eight years last season.