Rival teams believe Warriors are open to moving Andrew Wiggins due to failed tandem with rising star: Report

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has struggled almost all season. He is averaging 11.9 points per game, the worst in his career. Wiggins’ previous low was 16.9 PPG during his rookie season (2014-15) with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Heading into the Warriors’ game against the LA Clippers on Dec. 14, Steve Kerr announced that Wiggins would come off the bench. The move sent shockwaves as the former All-Star has never played that role in 657 regular-season games. “Two-Way Wiggs” was replaced by rookie Brandin Podziemski in the starting unit.

On Jan. 7, Kerr re-inserted Andrew Wiggins into the starting lineup with emerging forward Jonathan Kuminga. The result was a disaster as “Wiggs” scored only three points in the Dubs’ embarrassing 133-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

Following the debacle at home versus the Raptors, NBA Insider Marc Stein had his to say on the “#thisleague UNCUT” podcast:

"When I talk to other teams more and more, I'm hearing that there's an anticipation now that the Warriors will be open to trading Andrew Wiggins because Wiggins and [Jonathan] Kuminga when they've played together, the Warriors would be the first to tell you it hasn't gone well.”

Steve Kerr was asked about his decision to start Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga. After the beatdown at the hands of the Raptors, the multi-titled coach had this to say:

“We’ve talked about trying to get them together, our two longest, most athletic players. We have not been a good defensive team this year so we’ve wanted to try that.

"We’re experimenting with Gary [Payton II] and Draymond [Green] out. We’re trying to find a two-way lineup that can help us. Obviously, that lineup didn’t click.”

There might not be a robust market for Andrew Wiggins with the way he has been playing. He looks like a shell of the player that a few said deserved the 2022 NBA Finals MVP over Steph Curry. Wiggins is hesitant and his confidence is likely at an all-time low. The benching has only made it worse.

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Andrew Wiggins isn’t the Warriors’ only issue

Andrew Wiggins is nowhere near the level that made him an All-Star during the 2021-22 season. If he gets back to that form, the Golden State Warriors will unquestionably improve. But, he is not the only issue that Steve Kerr has been trying to address.

The Dubs are still turnover-prone. They are averaging 14.8 errors per game which is 24th in the NBA. Kerr has been calling his team out for careless turnovers this season. If they can’t put consistent stops together and cough up the ball too many times, they will not be a legitimate championship contender.

The Golden State Warriors are also the worst in the league when it comes to fastbreak points. They average 15.5 points per game in that category which is nearly two points below the Portland Trail Blazers’ 17.3 PPG average. The Warriors’ inability to get out and score has put a ton of pressure on Steph Curry to score against set defenses.

Andrew Wiggins’ underperforming season is a big reason for the Warriors’ struggles. There are areas, however, that Steve Kerr will have to figure out to make them championship contenders. The Dubs likely need more than one deal before the trade deadline to turn themselves into bonafide title hopefuls.