Since the 2021 NBA offseason, rumors have been continuously swirling around Andrew Wiggins and his future with the Golden State Warriors. To increase their chances of fully dominating the Western Conference and winning the NBA championship title in the 2021-22 NBA season, most people believe that the Warriors would use Wiggins as a trade chip to improve their roster around Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
In the past months, Wiggins has already been linked to teams that are expected to be active on the market before the 2022 NBA trade deadline.
Andrew Wiggins To Indiana Pacers
One of the potential trade destinations for Wiggins is the Indiana Pacers. In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report created a list of trades that NBA fans "should already be dreaming about." These include a hypothetical deal that would send Wiggins to the Pacers.
In the proposed trade scenario, the Warriors would be sending a package that includes Wiggins and James Wiseman to the Pacers in exchange for Myles Turner and Caris LeVert. If the trade would push through this season, Buckley believes it would help both the Warriors and the Pacers in filling up the needs to improve on their roster.
Centerpieces Of Pacers' Rebuild
The proposed blockbuster trade would be worth exploring for the Pacers if they finally decide to undergo a rebuilding process. Wiggins, 26, and Wiseman, 20, could become the centerpieces of the next title-contending team that the Pacers would try to build in Indiana.
"They need more blue-chip talent, and James Wiseman would give them exactly that," Buckley wrote. "He’s as raw as homegrown produce, but he has physical tools few can match and flashes of skills that shouldn’t be possible at his size. Indiana could turn to Andrew Wiggins for perimeter defense and support scoring, and the club might feel more comfortable investing in him than LeVert since the latter is older and has a lengthy injury history."
Myles Turner Upgrades Warriors
Trading Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, would be a tough decision for the Warriors, but it’s the type of move that they should be willing to make if they are serious about returning to the NBA Finals this season. Turner would be an upgrade over Wiseman at the starting center position, giving them a more experienced big man who is capable of knocking down shots from beyond the arc.
This season, Turner is averaging 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN.
Return To 'Cheat-Code Days'
With his injury history, swapping Wiggins for LeVert would undeniably be a huge gamble for the Warriors. However, if he could stay away from any major injury, Buckley thinks that pairing LeVert with Curry and Thompson would enable the Warriors to return to their "cheat-code days" in the 2021-22 NBA season.
"Caris LeVert, when healthy, is a proven shot-maker and secondary shot-creator," Buckley wrote. "Having him in the same offense with Curry and Thompson might get Golden State back to its cheat-code days."
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