Andrew Wiggins-Podziemski’s Beef Triggers Trade Tensions In Warriors’ Locker Room

Andrew Wiggins fumbled the ball on a transition layup against the San Antonio Spurs, sparking a disappointing reaction from Brandin Podziemski. The displeasure, however, did not sit well with Wiggins, prompting a staunching reply to the rookie. The interaction was soon spotted and decoded by fans. Since then, it has sparked a potential underlying tension within the teammates, possibly hinting at an offseason trade.

In the latest episode of Warriors Today, reporter Allie Barefoot touches on the same concerns. Allie links the reemergence of a pattern that has hounded the Golden State Warriors lately, sparking from the Draymond Green and Jordan Poole incident. With that, Allie talks about the challenges in the locker room, especially when the Warriors need their roster to come together if they plan to make a playoff entry.

Currently, the Warriors need plenty of players to step up and match the ignited competition in the league. Andrew Wiggins is one of those players. Wiggins is far away from being the instrumental players that he was in the Warriors 2022 championship run. Even though he matched the minutes, scoring and contributions on the court last year, he could not do it consistently; having played 36 less games that the title campaign.

On the other hand, Pod has served the Warriors well in his rookie season, often starting games and playing significant minutes. With that, Allie proposed a potential three-team trade, sending Wiggins to the Philadelphia 76ers. With the Nets cashing on Marcus Morris Sr., KJ Martin from Philly and Moses Moody from Golden State, the Warriors would land Mikal Bridges.

The trade would enable the Sixers to gun a potential trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. For the Warriors, it could bolster Jonathan Kuminga’s role, as he has already showed signs of taking over Wiggins’ responsibilities.

Brandin Podziemski & Andrew Wiggins’ stats in 2023-24

Brandin Podziemski is unarguably the better player for the Warriors this season. Through 26.8 minutes per game, Wiggins averages 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists. It clearly surpasses Brandin’s 9.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 27 minutes. However, Andrew came to the Warriors with certain expectations for the Warriors, while Brandin, in his rookie season, has a clean slate to paint on.

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So far, Wiggins has showed few glimpses of his versatility, but has struggled to maintain it. On the other hand, Brandin is already leading the wing player in terms of rebounds and assists. Moreover, he is shooting the ball on better clip form the three, while sitting closer to Wiggins’ overall field goal efficiency.