After much mayhem over Andrew Wiggins’ ouster from the Canadian National men’s basketball roster for the Paris Olympics, the Warriors coach Steve Kerr has opened up for the first time in the past two weeks. Notably, the Canadian small forward was present on his national team’s 20-man roster. However, he was there to participate in the Toronto training camp that the Canadian team started two weeks ago. Ultimately, it attracted a lot of attention from the players as well as the NBA community for a competitive conspiracy. However, the Golden State Warriors insider Anthony Slater later cleared the air, citing it a “mutual decision” due to Wiggins’ late-season ankle injury.

About two weeks after that vague description from the Warriors insider, the Dubs coach got candid about it on the ‘97.7 The Game’ podcast. When the podcast host Willard asked Kerr to shed light on why Wiggins was not playing for Canada, Steve stated, “I mean this is just uh, you know, the decision that uh that we made based on uh, you know, his health and his preparation.” The multiple pauses during Steve Kerr’s explanation do raise eyebrows about the controversial decision. However, he admitted that it was not easy for the Dubs front office as well.

“Um, you know these decisions are difficult, but um that was the route we wanted to go, “ Kerr further added on taking the much talked about decision. It is worth noting that Wiggins could not perform that well last season, as he only averaged a career-low 13.2 points with a 45.3% field goal percentage. Also, surprisingly, his points per game have dropped over the last three seasons, recording 17.2, 17.1, and 13.2 successively. No doubt the Warriors want to trade such a liability amid the team’s rebuilding effort around Steph Curry, does Wiggins’ ouster follow another secret?

Does Steve Kerr have ulterior motives for not letting Andrew Wiggins go?

It is clear from Anthony Slater’s update that the restrain from the Warriors does not preclude the team from trading Andrew Wiggins. So the Dubs front office is definitely out there to hunt for a star to stand alongside Stephen Curry right now. After losing opportunities like Paul George, the next target for Steve Kerr’s coached team is Utah Jazz‘s Lauri Markkanen. And for making that deal feasible, the Warriors will look to trade Wiggins to the Jazz.

However, it’s worth noting that Wiggins still has three years and 84.7 million left on his four-year $109 million contract. Apparently, the $26 million annual salary that the small forward is expected to make next season will come in handy for landing a star like Markkanen. So, restraining Maple Jordan from playing in the Olympics might be much more than his injury woes.

Another theory surfacing in the community is that Steve Kerr, who also happens to be the head coach of the men’s national basketball team, is using his power to stop Wiggins from participating in the Paris Olympics. Notably, the Canadian made an upset last September when they defeated Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup for the Bronze medal. So what do you think it is? Any unfair treatment or a rumored conspiracy? Let us know in the comments.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.