Rumor: Mavs 'Have Always Liked' Andrew Wiggins; 'Rumblings' of Potential Trade with Warriors
As the Dallas Mavericks look to end a three-game losing skid against the Atlanta Hawks, who have also lost three straight, new trade rumors have surfaced on Friday with the Feb. 8 deadline less than two weeks away.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Mavs have always liked Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, and that could be something to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.
“I heard Dallas has always liked him, and they’re looking to upgrade at the three,” Scotto said on the HoopsHype Podcast.
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On the show, Scotto was joined by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, who covers the Warriors, and he believes it could be a “sell low” situation for Wiggins and Golden State.
“They got him back that summer on a four-year extension. This is year one of the extension. You know, I think it’s somewhere around $24 million this year. That was viewed at the time as a bargain deal and team friendly,” Slater said.
“The way the last two seasons have gone, and particularly this season where he’s having the worst offensive year of his career, all the lineup numbers and on-court data have been terrible for him and have tanked his value. It would be kind of a sell low time for the Warriors. As far as teams, you mentioned those Dallas rumblings have been out there.”
When Luka Doncic’s Mavs lost to the Warriors in the 2022 Western Conference Finals, Wiggins was a huge reason why. Golden State went on to win its fourth title in eight years that season, and Wiggins was rewarded with a four-year, $109 million contract. This season, though, he’s averaging 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting just 43.4 percent from the field and 31.0 percent from deep.
Although those numbers are concerning, we must remember the gamble Mavs GM Nico Harrison took when he traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards during the 2021-22 season for Spencer Dinwiddie, who was also struggling with his efficiency. But the shakeup worked out, and Dinwiddie was a big part of Dallas’ second-half season surge that led to the West Finals.
There’s no guarantee that would happen with Wiggins in Dallas, but buy-low opportunities are what the Mavs will have to consider at this trade deadline given what the assets they have to work with. Wiggins has shown that he’s capable of being a key 3-and-D force on a championship-winning team, and it would be interesting to see if the Mavs could rekindle that.
