3 logical Warriors trade targets using Andrew Wiggins' salary

Andrew Wiggins could be on his way out of the Bay after spending the past five seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Having missed the playoffs this year, the Warriors now have the unique opportunity to truly reflect and improve their roster. According to Sean Deveney of heavy.com, there's only one real path to strengthening the Dubs' roster, which starts with, "trading Andrew Wiggins and the remaining $84 million on his four-year contract."

3. Jarret Allen

This isn't the first time the Cleveland Cavaliers have been linked to Andrew Wiggins. The Cavs selected Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft, but he was sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade for Kevin Love before he ever played in an NBA game. However, Wiggins might be headed to his rightful home of Cleveland after all. 

Per @JWeinbachNBA on Twitter/X:

Why would the Cavs take this? After the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals, a report from The Athletic revealed teammates and staff were frustrated with Jarret Allen for missing games, as they thought Allen could have done more to try and play. There have also been questions about whether Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen can coexist in the same starting lineup as two non-shooting bigs. 

Andrew Wiggins would round out the Cavs' roster nicely. The Cavaliers could use a wing with Wiggins' defensive prowess and experience. The Warriors lack interior size and could definitely benefit from a rim protector like Jarret Allen.

Wiggins' salary is similar to Allen's. Cleveland has the cap space to accept the deal as a straight swap. Allen signed a five-year, $100,000,000 contract in August 2021. Wiggins signed a four-year $109 million contract in October 2022. Wiggins has $84 million left on his four-year contract. After next year, Wiggins is slated to make $26.2 million and will have two years left on his contract. Allen's contract calls for him to make $20 million per year and he won't be an unrestricted free agent until 2026-2027.

2. Bruce Brown

As the Warriors look to offload Andrew Wiggins, Bruce Brown could be another trade target to consider. Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley suggested trading Bruce Brown for Andrew Wiggins straight up.

Buckley argued. "He's [Wiggins] only two seasons removed from being the second-best player on a world champion. He could have more prime years in front of him, despite what his rocky 2023-24 campaign might suggest."

With the loss of OG Anunoby, the Toronto Raptors could use another athletic two-way player. Someone who can knock down the occasional three-pointer and thrive playing at either the three or the four. Wiggins didn't have a spectacular season. He averaged a career-low 13.2 points and made only 35.8% of his 3-pointers. However, there is a lot of faith that Wiggins will succeed with a change in scenery in this deal. Wiggins is a Toronto native who fits the Raptors' timeline. Even if Wiggins slightly improves from last season, it could still be considered an upgrade from Bruce Brown.

This regular season, Bruce Brown averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. He prefers to catch and shoot, as 92.5 percent of his 3-pointers came from assists this season, which is consistent with the Warriors' offensive style.

1. John Collins

It's going to be difficult for John Collins to thrive in Utah next to Lauri Markkanen and the same goes for Andrew Wiggins in Golden State next to Jonathan Kuminga. So ... let's swap problems. Let's trade Andrew Wiggins to the Utah Jazz for John Collins straight up.

At 26 years old, John Collins is still relatively young. He's two inches taller than Wiggins so he adds the size that the Warriors so desperately need. The Warriors need a big that can space the floor and Collins shot 37.1 percent from beyond the arc this year, his highest 3-point percentage since the 2020-21 season. In terms of fit, Golden State would be ideal for him.

As for Utah, the Jazz need a wing and Wiggins might be the man for the job. Put aside the fact that Wiggins might thrive in a smaller market like Utah that isn't so scrutinized. What's important is Wiggins would allow the Jazz to give Lauri Markkanen more minutes at his true power forward position. Due to Collins' inability to play anything other than power forward, 44 percent of Markkanen's minutes were spent at center this past season, a career-high. Obviously, not ideal if you're the Jazz.

If Utah wants to use Markkanen more at the 4, they'll need to get rid of Collins and bring in Wiggins. Salary-wise, they are almost a perfect match. Collins is owed $26.5 million next season while Wiggins is set to make $26.2 million.