After the Warriors' pursuit of George's dream shattered, Wiggins' fate of being sold remained unchanged, and he remained one of the Warriors' trade chips. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Warriors put Wiggins on the shelf with the intention of sending him away in exchange for some chips.
You may wonder, without a top-tier perimeter leader, would the Warriors still have anyone available on their front line? Although Kuminga has top-level physical fitness, his current defensive ability is not up to Wiggins' level, so how can he expect him to become a defensive leader in the short term?
This is not? Jake Fischer also added that the Warriors' possible forward options include Ingram and Zach LaVine.
During the 2022 playoffs, Wiggins can be said to have played what a superstar should be, and once became what Warriors fans expected - offensive and defensive. He evolved and upgraded in series after round, successively blocking Grizzlies center Clark, Mavericks star Doncic, and Celtics 3D White, and helped the team win that year's championship with consistent play on both offensive and defensive ends. It can be said that in that season, Wiggins was a proper second-in-command, the most reliable teammate around Curry, and the champion blood in his body has awakened.
But for some reason, after getting a good contract, Wiggins began to become a Buddha, and his form in the game became inconsistent. Especially after returning home to deal with some things, his physical fitness seems to have dropped a notch, and his play on the offensive end is even more rusty, which is far from his performance in the 2022 playoffs. In the 23-24 regular season, he averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, shooting 45.3% from the field and 35.8% from three-point range.
Since he can't afford the expectations of fans and management, it is only a matter of time before Wiggins is traded.
So, who is better suited to the Warriors' tactical system in theory, LaVine or Ingram?
The Bulls are trying to send LaVine away in a first-round pick, but no team wants to trade them, which means the defender's trade value is at freezing point right now, and it's a good opportunity for the Warriors to get started. In the '23-24 season, LaVine played only 25 regular season games, averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, shooting 45.2% from the field and 34.9% from three-point range, which is on the same level as Wiggins' offensive efficiency.
At the same time, his five-year, $215 million contract has three seasons to end, and Warriors management naturally doesn't want to be this big grudge. Once Klay leaves the team, he still lacks a 3-and-D who can both shoot and defend at the No. 2 position, and LaVine is not a good fit for the Warriors' tactical needs due to his limitations on the defensive end.
As for Ingram? As a Bangyanxiu, he is only 26 years old at the moment; He played 64 games in the regular season in the 23-24 season, averaging 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game, shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.5% from three-point range. Not only that, but his projection is relatively stable, and he has a good mid-range hard solution, and his height and reach can also interfere with the opponent's attack.
In addition, Ingram only has $36.02 million left on his contract for the 24-25 season, and he will definitely go all out to get a big contract in the new season. On this basis, coupled with the blessing of the Warriors' tactical system, Ingram is fully qualified to play the position of the wing of this team, and assume the role of the team's second and third leaders.
So, in theory, Ingram is a better fit for this Warriors team than LaVine.
It's just that the position that the Pelicans need to strengthen is the center, and the Warriors can only shoot Looney, Wiggins, Payton Jr., and first-round picks.
Obviously, the Bucks in the East have a need for wing leaders, and Da Luo, Portis, and Connaughton can all make shots. In this way, Ingram's opportunity to join the Warriors will become a reality, what do you think?