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In the final hours before the NBA trade deadline on Thursday at 12:00 pm PT, Andrew Wiggins wordlessly offered 23 minutes of advice to personnel executives in the Warriors’ front office.
Not that they needed it. Not anymore. General manager Mike Dunleavy and CEO Joe Lacob realize that the Warriors, a portrait of instability in the first half of the season, are evolving into the team they envisioned on opening night.
And they can attribute much of the transformation to Wiggins.
While Golden State’s 127-104 demolition of the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center was surely a collaborative effort, no one carried more weight than Wiggins, whose value spent most of January under microscopes in the various NBA commercial laboratories.
Wiggins needed just 23 minutes to score a game-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and grab a game-high 10 rebounds. He also put handcuffs on Sixers star Tyrone Maxey (12 points, 5 of 14 shooting, three turnovers, -27 in 30 minutes).
“It was great,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters at the Wells Fargo Center. “Obviously he shot the ball well. But he rebounded, 10 rebounds, four offensive. He played defense against Maxey (we put him against the toughest guy) and just played with the right energy and spirit.
“The whole group did it. I just thought that everyone came out competing and defending without committing fouls and that allowed us to get out in transition.”
The Warriors have won four of five for the third time this season. They have a starting lineup (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green) that they like and want to keep.
Wiggins, who has expressed his desire to stay with the Warriors, is giving them what they were looking for in trade talks. A wing who can score while also playing elite perimeter defense. He didn’t do much of either during the first three months, which is why he spent most of December and early January coming off the bench.
And why the board, seeking to improve a team that was going nowhere, was so willing to make him available.
But Wiggins’ last three weeks have been precisely what Golden State was looking for. Wiggins in his last six games – including the loss in Atlanta, when he left before halftime with an ankle injury – is averaging 15.7 points on 60.3 percent shooting. Equally important is that he is defending with renewed focus and energy.
Wiggins’ resurgence has made a visible and statistical difference for the Warriors. They are playing faster on offense. The defense has been more effective. Kerr is seeing the team he always wanted.
“I feel like we’ve found something good that’s worked for us and if everyone buys into what we’re doing,” Wiggins said after the game. “Always make it about the team.”
When asked about trade possibilities before the game, Kerr offered his advice while subtly alluding to Wiggins’ recent rise.
“The guys have been great, everyone is committed and playing hard together,” Kerr said. “And there hasn’t been much talk. I know some guys’ names are mentioned. But it hasn’t been talked about much.
“I always say I don’t really expect anything to happen.”
Trade talks, frequent within the board a few weeks ago, have cooled down dramatically. That doesn’t mean the phones are completely silent, but Wiggins has gone from being a low-value trade bait to a high-value trade bait, or a high-value Warrior.
Any trade involving Wiggins always meant getting back someone who would need time to adapt to Golden State’s preferred style and the time required to execute on both ends. At this stage, any new players couldn’t reasonably be expected to contribute much until after the All-Star break from February 16-21.
Wiggins, 28, is contributing now. He’s showing the form that made him so valuable to their 2022 NBA championship team. Trading him now would carry considerable risk and carry a stench of desperation.
It would surely lead to another round of adjustments, something Kerr would clearly like to avoid.
“Everyone on our team has really overcome a lot individually this year,” Kerr said. “Being removed from the starting lineup. Being injured and recovering. Young players who have emerged through a lot of work and patience. “I really enjoy coaching this team.”
The Warriors liked their roster in training camp. They thought the team had enough to go far in the postseason. But when they were 6-9 in November, 5-7 in December and 3-5 during the first two weeks of January, the front office began to stir. After all, they have the highest payroll in the league.
They are 5-3 since January 15. And, what’s more, its metrics are improving rapidly.
“I feel like this group can do something special. I really believe that,” Kerr said. “So if we don’t do anything tomorrow, then we feel like we have a good group that we can move forward with.”
The Warriors can always sniff around for a veteran big man on the buyout market. If they let the deadline pass it is because they have once again believed in what they have.
Draymond’s return has had the right impact. The development of Kuminga has been everything they could have wished for. Thompson appears to be taking on a slightly reduced role. And Wiggins finally looks like the guy who was indispensable on his last championship team.
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