The Golden State Warriors might be exploring a reunion with Andrew Wiggins, but in the process they could directly aid the Miami Heat in realizing their dreams of landing Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Warriors and Heat have been two of the prominent teams linked to Antetokounmpo over recent years, making it therefore incredibly interesting that the two could pull off a seperate trade just as the 2x MVP’s future in Milwaukee appears all but over.
Warriors could gift Heat clear path to Giannis Antetokounmpo trade
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer on Tuesday, the Warriors and Heat have discussed the framework of a trade that would send Wiggins back to the Bay Area, and Jonathan Kuminga to South Beach.
Swapping the two forwards make some sense for both parties, but like most deals heading into the deadline, the major issue is likely to stem around draft picks and what else needs to be added get a trade over the line.
With Kuminga having officially requested a trade, and having been out of Steve Kerr’s rotation for 16-straight games prior to Jimmy Butler’s season-ending knee injury, it’s almost assured that Golden State will have to give up draft capital to bring back a player who was arguably their second-best during the 2022 championship season.
This within itself presents a major problem, and is why a deal may ultimately not take place. As much as Wiggins may be an upgrade over Kuminga, the veteran forward certainly isn’t building the Warriors into a contender in the wake of Butler’s injury.
Therefore why would Golden State give up picks in such a move when that could reduce/impact the package they could offer for Antetokounmpo, or any other star player who would actually move the needle?
Not only that, but you’d be building the asset-base of a team who also has interest in trading for Antetokounmpo. Right now the Warriors would rightly argue they have more to offer than the Heat, but that changes if they suddenly exchange picks in a Kuminga-Wiggins trade.
That’s exactly the motivation for the Heat — why move Wiggins at all unless it’s providing more assets to pass on for Antetokounmpo or another superstar player? It leaves a conundrum that could well prove the sticking point in a trade, albeit a Wiggins return to the Warriors is seemingly growing in likelihood as next month’s February 5 deadline approaches.
