The Golden State Warriors pulled off a massive trade to land Jimmy Butler last night. As part of the package, the Warriors have sent Andrew Wiggins, the former All-Star, to the Miami Heat. After the Warriors’ 131-128 loss to the Utah Jazz, an emotional Steve Kerr reflected on what Andrew Wiggins meant to the franchise and what kind of individual he is. But he did acknowledge that this is the way the NBA goes.
“He just had a baby boy last week. His girls are in school. Wiggs is one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. Just a beautiful soul, a wonderful human being. We don’t hang that banner in 2022 without him.”
“Everything he brings, every single day – laughter, smiles, joy. Just a wonderful human being. I’m going to miss him… This is the business. We know that. We talk about it periodically. Everyone moves on and you say your goodbyes.”
Andrew Wiggins joined the Golden State Warriors in 2020 from the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played there for five years, playing 307 games and averaging 16.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field, 38.1% from the three-point line, and 70.3% from the free-throw line.
He became an instrumental part of the team over the years. In fact, he played a massive role in the Warriors 2022 NBA championship run, with many even claiming that he was the second-best player on the team behind Stephen Curry, along with being the best defender along with Draymond Green. Wiggins became an All-Star for the first time in his career while on the Warriors.
Wiggins Is Perfect For Miami Heat
Andrew Wiggins is a great two-way player and an elite defender. In many ways, he is a younger version of Jimmy Butler. Funnily enough, Wiggins played with Butler briefly during their time together on the Minnesota Timberwolves. But in the years since, he has developed into a strong two-way wing.
The Heat replace Butler with a younger, faster, and presumably more hungry wing player. Pairing him with first-time All-Star Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo should be a recipe for success. This season might be difficult, as the Heat are likely to be a low playoff or high play-in team at best.
But Wiggins provides the Heat with the building blocks for the future to form a contender in the next few years. A core of Wiggins, Adebayo, and Herro, along with Kel’el Ware who is showing signs of promise, could be the way to go for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat when it comes to securing the future of the franchise.
The Miami Heat are a prominent free-agent destination, and will not struggle to attract star players to their team. And with the 2026 free agent class being stacked, the Heat’s rebuild could be very short.
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