Andrew Wiggins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Poole, Wiseman, Thompson

February 23rd, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors already have the NBA’s most expensive roster, but their payroll may only continue to rise in the coming years, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

As Letourneau outlines, Kevon Looney will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and has earned a raise on his current $5.2MM salary; Jordan Poole will be extension-eligible this offseason; and Andrew Wiggins will be entering the final year of his contract in 2022/23.

This season, those three players are earning a combined $39MM, but if Golden State wants to hang onto them going forward, that cost will likely increase substantially beginning in ’23/24, when new deals for Wiggins and Poole would go into effect. Keith Smith of Spotrac estimates that Poole’s next contract could be worth in the neighborhood of $80MM over four years, Letourneau notes.

With all this in mind, Letourneau wonders if Wiggins could be the Warriors’ odd man out. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrived in Golden State, earning his first All-Star nod this season, but Letourneau is unconvinced that the organization would be prepared to give him another maximum-salary contract next year, pushing team salary over $200MM (not counting tax penalties) — especially if Jonathan Kuminga proves increasingly capable of eventually taking over Wiggins’ starting forward spot.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Within that same Chronicle story, Letourneau suggests that Looney could be in line for a multiyear deal worth about $6MM annually this offseason, and says the Warriors will make an effort to extend Poole during the 2022 offseason.
Cyrus Saatsaz of Locked on Warriors (video link) states that his cohost Dieter Kurtenbach of The Bay Area News Group has heard from a source that James Wiseman will return to action for Golden State on March 1, which would be the team’s third game after the All-Star break. Wiseman has described himself as being in the late stages of his rehab process, so we could certainly see him soon, though it’s worth noting that Klay Thompson‘s return was initially projected to happen before Christmas, and he didn’t make his season debut until January 9. Like they did with Thompson, the Warriors will play it safe with Wiseman, making sure he doesn’t play until he’s 100%.
Speaking of Thompson, while he feels fully healthy, he’s still in the process of working his way back to his pre-injury form, as he tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I had a good game, but I want to put together a string of games,” Thompson said after a 33-point performance against the Lakers earlier this month. “I want to be back to playing at an elite level when I was making All-NBA teams. I know that’s going to come. I’m ahead of schedule from where I thought I’d be. I’m very competitive. I want to shoot at a high percentage. I want to be as efficient as I was.” Thompson added that he also wants to continue improving on defense, where he feels as if he has about “80 to 85 percent” of his lateral quickness back.

Northwest Notes: Wolves, Beverley, Lillard, Sneed

February 22nd, 2022 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

Back in 2017, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, and Zach LaVine were in the early stages of their respective careers with the Timberwolves and had picked out a neighborhood where they’d all have homes within walking distance of one another, writes Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.

“I remember us all talking about getting houses in the same cul-de-sac so we could be locked in every single day with each other and make that camaraderie and unity that we needed to win a championship,” Towns told Krawczynski.

The trio’s plan to turn the Timberwolves into a contender together was derailed when LaVine was traded to Chicago and Wiggins was later sent to Golden State, but Towns, Wiggins, and LaVine were reunited at this weekend’s All-Star Game in Cleveland, each representing a different team.

As Krawczynski relays, former Minnesota coach Ryan Saunders said his father – the late Flip Saunders, who built that Wolves roster – would have been “so proud” to see all three players make the All-Star team, even if they were no longer teammates in Minnesota.

“It was just really cool to see us all on that stage and where we came from, being together on the same team and us all leaving and figuring out our own way,” LaVine said. “Everything happens for a reason.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

John Hollinger of The Athletic takes a look at the Timberwolves‘ decision to sign Patrick Beverley to a one-year, $13MM contract extension, noting that the team will be over the cap and under the tax line this offseason and didn’t really sacrifice any flexibility to extend Beverley. Minnesota remains in good position to potentially use cap room in 2022/23, Hollinger adds.
Speaking to Adam Caparell of Complex Sports, Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard reiterated that, despite a disappointing season, he remains committed to the franchise for the foreseeable future. “I’m loyal to what I believe,” Lillard said. “I do love living in Portland. I do love playing for the Trail Blazers. But I’ve built this. I’ve been part of this for 10 years. I’ve been part of the change here and us being a successful franchise. I know what means something to me in my heart. And that’s winning a championship here.”
Xavier Sneed‘s new two-way contract with the Jazz is a two-year agreement, covering 2022/23 in addition to the rest of this season, Hoops Rumors has learned. That doesn’t guarantee that Sneed will remain with the team next season, but it gives Utah the option to hang onto him without needing to sign him to a new deal.

LeBron Chooses Giannis, Curry In All-Star Draft; Durant Picks Embiid, Morant

February 10th, 2022 at 7:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After James Harden was traded away from the Nets on Thursday, former teammate Kevin Durant opted not to pick him in the All-Star draft conducted on Thursday night. Harden was the last player chosen by LeBron James for Team LeBron, as the league announced (via Twitter).

LeBron’s starters, besides himself, are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Jokic.

Durant, who won’t play in the All-Star Game at Cleveland due to his knee injury, chose Joel Embiid, Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, Trae Young and Andrew Wiggins as Team Durant’s starters.

James selected Luka Doncic as his top reserve. His guard-heavy team also features Darius Garland, Chris Paul, Jimmy Butler, Donovan Mitchell, Fred VanVleet and Harden.

Team Durant’s bench includes Devin Booker, Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, Dejounte Murray, Khris Middleton, LaMelo Ball and Rudy Gobert.

Thus, numerous teammates will be on opposing clubs for the All-Star game, including the Jazz’s Gobert and Mitchell and the Suns’ Paul and Booker.

The game will be played February 20 in Cleveland.

Western Notes: Wiggins, Haliburton, Gordon, Wood, Jones

February 6th, 2022 at 10:05pm CST by JD Shaw

Even with Klay Thompson returning from his two-season absence last month, the Warriors still want first-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins to be aggressive, Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. Wiggins is averaging 18.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game, shooting 49% from the floor.

“Klay’s got this very big … aura about him when he’s on the court and he just finds a way to make his presence felt,” teammate Andre Iguodala said. “And Wiggs is a little more shy. So we had to remind Wiggs we still need you to go out and be on attack. And he’s done a great job of doing that.”

Wiggins’ play is a key reason why the Warriors are 40-13 this season. Golden State is currently on an eight-game win streak, working to stay afloat as Draymond Green rehabs a lower back injury.

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton finished with 17 assists on Saturday, becoming the youngest player in franchise history (21 years old) to do so, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee notes. Haliburton only recorded four turnovers and also pitched in 13 points. The Kings beat the Thunder 113-103.
Rockets veterans Christian Wood and Eric Gordon are blocking out the trade rumors ahead of Thursday’s deadline, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes. Wood and Gordon have been mentioned as possible trade candidates for the Rockets, who own the worst record in the West at 15-37. Wood is due $13.7MM this season, while Gordon will make $18.2MM.
Pelicans rookie Herbert Jones broke down film on some of his steals with Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Jones, the No. 35 pick in 2021, has become one of the league’s bright young defenders. He’s averaging 1.5 steals in 29.8 minutes per game this season.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Wiggins, Iguodala, Arena Vaccine Policy

January 27th, 2022 at 9:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The wait continues for James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, and there’s no end in sight, Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. The Warriors center required arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-December and is nine months removed from the meniscus surgery he underwent last April. The procedure in December cleaned up some swelling.

The Warriors had hoped Wiseman would make his season debut in February, but that remains uncertain.

“There’s just no blueprint for this,” coach Steve Kerr told KNBR, as Schrock relays. “This is such a unique set of circumstances, and we will just have to see how it plays out, and we thought it was going to play out very differently. We thought he would be back by now. I just feel so bad for James. He is working every day. … The poor guy is dealing with the injury, with the knee, and we just don’t know when he is going to turn the corner.”

We have more on the Warriors:

Many people may question whether Andrew Wiggins deserved to be All-Star starter, as was revealed on Thursday, but the Warriors are thrilled about it, Connor Letorneau of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. “Man, one of the proudest moments I’ve had as a coach, just to see what Wiggs has done since he got here. … I just could not be any happier for him,” Kerr said. “The whole organization is just glowing right now.”
Andre Iguodala has missed the last three games with a hip injury and will miss at least the next two, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Iguodala hasn’t played since a 31-minute stint against Indiana on Jan. 20.
New COVID guidelines for entry into Chase Center were announced on Thursday and will take effect on February 1st. According to a team press release, Chase Center will require proof of either an up-to-date vaccination, including proof of a booster shot for eligible guests received at least one week prior to the event, or a negative COVID-19 test, taken within 24 hours (for antigen tests) or 48 hours (for PCR tests). All individuals are required to wear a mask within the arena unless actively eating or drinking.

Andrew Wiggins Named All-Star Starter; Morant Selected For First Time

January 27th, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Western Conference starter pool for next month’s NBA All-Star Game included a big surprise.

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was chosen along with Lakers forward LeBron James and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic among Western Conference frontcourt candidates. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was also named a starter for the first time, joining Warriors guard Stephen Curry as the backcourt duo in the starter pool, NBA Communications tweets.

James will be a team captain once again because he is the All-Star starter from the West with the most fan votes in the West.

Wiggins was third in the most recent fan voting results among Western Conference frontcourt players but the fan vote counted for only 50% in the selection. Player voting accounted for 25% and the media also had a 25% say.

Wiggins is averaging 18.1 PPG. He beat out more decorated Western Conference frontcourt players such as Rudy Gobert, Anthony Davis, Deandre Ayton, Karl-Anthony Towns and Draymond Green.

Morant’s selection is much less controversial. He’s averaging 25.8 PPG, 6.9 APG and 5.9 RPG. However, Luka Doncic, Donovan Mitchell and Suns guards Devin Booker and Chris Paul also had compelling cases to be starters.

Warriors Notes: Poole, Wiggins, Klay, Lesser-Paid Players

January 5th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Rory Maher

At 29-7, the Warriors have the best record in the NBA, a half-game ahead of the Suns. One key to the team’s success this season has been the maturation and development of third-year guard Jordan Poole, who’s being groomed to become Golden State’s new sixth man, as Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic detail.

Poole’s situation on the club is unique, in that he’s the only young player to have a consistent rotational role. He describes the dynamic as being akin to a middle-child.

“The dynamic is what you see,” Poole said. “I’m not the youngest. I’ve been around for a little bit, but I’m kind of like the only one in the middle of the pack. The older bros have been through it. Sometimes we’re gonna throw you with the young guys, sometimes you can come with us. Essentially, it’s the middle-child treatment.”

Slater and Thompson write that Poole is known for having an excellent work ethic; the Warriors have data showing he’s in the gym more than any player on the team. Veteran Andre Iguodala, the team’s former sixth man, has taken Poole under his wing. As a third-year former first-round pick (28th overall in the 2019 draft), Poole is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

“The new sixth man is getting $20 million a year,” Iguodala said. “That’s the bottom offer for a guy like that, the Tyler Herros and Jordan Pooles. You got those few guys who are starters but for teams they are on, they’re sixth men. You don’t have a problem with going above and beyond taking care of them because you know they’ll be a staple player for your franchise.”

In 30 games (28 starts) this season, Poole is averaging 18.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 30.1 minutes per contest. He also sports a .454/.348/.887 shooting line, good for a 59.3 true shooting percentage.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes wrote an in-depth story detailing how former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins has been a “perfect fit” with Golden State, examining many aspects of the forward and his role within the team.
Head coach Steve Kerr says Klay Thompson will be on a minutes restriction when he makes his long-awaited return (possibly Sunday) and will probably rest one of the two games in back-to-back sets, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic (via Twitter).
The Warriors have the NBA’s highest payroll, but a huge part of their success thus far is owed to the contributions of lesser-paid players, John Hollinger of The Athletic writes. Hollinger notes that Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, Kevon Looney, Poole, Juan Toscano-Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica, Damion Lee, and Iguodala have all been impactful, and the eight players earn a combined $17.6MM — about the market value of a decent starter. Of the eight, only Poole is under contract through next season — the other seven will be free agents this summer (JTA is restricted, the rest are unrestricted).

COVID Updates: Wiggins, Poole, Len, Payton, Rogers, Tolliver, Wright

December 27th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are the latest developments regarding players entering or exiting the league’s health and safety protocols:

Andrew Wiggins has cleared the protocols, Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The Warriors forward practiced on Monday and is probable to play on Tuesday against Denver, Kendra Andrews of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Wiggins entered protocols on December 19.
Guard Jordan Poole has also cleared the protocols, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. He’ll return to the Warriors’ facility on Tuesday but won’t play as the team needs to assess his conditioning, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
Kings center Alex Len is listed as questionable to play on Tuesday, which indicates he’s cleared the protocols, James Ham of The Kings Beat tweets.
Suns guard Elfrid Payton returned to action on Monday after clearing the protocols, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets. Payton had just entered the protocols on Sunday, so apparently he had a false positive.
We noted earlier on Monday that Blazers coach Chauncey Billups has entered the protocols. Assistant coach Roy Rogers is also in the protocols, Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian tweets.
Anthony Tolliver‘s 10-day contract with the Pelicans has been voided after he tested positive for COVID-19, Will Guillory of The Athletic tweets. Tolliver was signed on Sunday.
Moses Wright, who has been playing on a 10-day contract with the Clippers, has also entered the protocols, Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN tweets.

Andrew Wiggins Placed In Protocols

December 19th, 2021 at 6:59pm CST by JD Shaw

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has been placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.

Wiggins is one of several players to enter the league’s protocols this weekend, joining Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and Trae Young, among many others. He’s also the second Warrior currently in the protocols, along with Jordan Poole.

As a whole, the NBA currently has over 60 players out due to the health and safety protocols. The league also postponed five games earlier today as multiple teams deal with outbreaks.

Wiggins, an eight-year veteran, has played a key role in the Warriors’ success this season. He’s holding per-game averages of 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 31.1 minutes, shooting 49% from the floor and 42% from three.

Golden State owns the second-best record in the league at 24-6, though the team is only 6-4 in its last 10 games.

Timberwolves Notes: Edwards-KAT, Wiggins Trade, Inconsistency

November 14th, 2021 at 3:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Timberwolves need to carve out offensive opportunities for both Karl-Anthony Towns and ascendant second-year wing Anthony Edwards, opines Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. Towns and Edwards appear to be the current core for Minnesota going forward.

Towns has thrived as a jump shooter but has been somewhat up-and-down scoring from inside the paint this season.

“I think we’ve studied it and just not getting a lot of production out of it, and I think his finishing could be a little better,” Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said of his post scoring. “I think we can get him to go maybe a little quicker, but by the same token, he’s not getting a lot of the benefit of the doubt down there.”

There’s more out of Minnesota:

The Timberwolves took a big swing with a 2020 trade that sent swingman Andrew Wiggins and a lightly-protected 2021 first-round draft pick to the Warriors in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, a longtime friend of Towns. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic revisited the deal, executed by now-former team president Gersson Rosas, in the wake of a big night for Wiggins against Minnesota, noting that Golden State pretty definitively came out the winner. As Krawczynski writes, Wiggins has been a better fit for the Warriors than he was for the Timberwolves. In part because there is less pressure on him to be the 11-1 team’s main scorer, Wiggins can focus more on his improved perimeter defense. Russell, meanwhile, provides little help on defense and has been erratic offensively for the Timberwolves. The Warriors also used the first-rounder to select small forward Jonathan Kuminga with the seventh selection in this summer’s draft.
After a solid 107-83 victory over the Lakers on Friday night, the Timberwolves struggled to replicate their success against L.A.’s Staples Center neighbors, the Clippers, in a 129-102 loss on Saturday. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic contends that this is who Minnesota really is: an inconsistent team with issues on both sides of the ball. Krawczynski says the Timberwolves grew complacent following one impressive showing against a Western Conference foe and let their guard down against another. “I feel like that’s really been the problem with us as a team is how do we not get tired of success,” said guard Josh Okogie. “I feel like after we have good performances, we have to be able to put that game behind us and focus on the next one and try to go 1-0 every night.”
In case you missed it, Luke Adams took a look at the Timberwolves’ offseason, which was focused primarily on retaining some young talent and adding veteran role players around the periphery of its roster.