It is no secret that the ongoing NBA season will not go down as among the Warriors’ best. Despite setting a 12-3 record during the tournament’s early stage, consistent fumbles caused the team to sustain a losing streak. As a result, the Warriors entered the ongoing week holding a 22-23 win record. Fortunately, the recent win against the Oklahoma City Thunder helped them hold a 2-game win streak. However, the same could have easily not happened, a fact that Steve Kerr also realized during the game.

Steve Kerr had a media interaction after the Warriors’ 116-109 win. During the session, he revealed how difficult it was to keep Shai-Gilgeous Alexander in check. After all, the OKC star went on a monstrous run. He scored 52 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in 39 minutes. Alexander had scored 31 of the points within the first half itself, which allowed the Thunder to lead by a 58-48 score. This left the Warriors head coach perplexed to a certain extent.

“I asked Mark at one point, just leave him on the bench for a couple more minutes, and he didn’t comply,” said Kerr. “I think Shai came back in with like 10 minutes left in the 4 quarter. And I looked down (at) Mark and I said ‘Can (you) give 2 more minutes? That would be really helpful for us’. It’s pick your poison with him.”

Whether it was Steve Kerr being snubbed, or the determination to not lose another game, Shai did not dissuade the Warriors squad from performing well in the second half. Andrew Wiggins led the home team by 27 points, while Stephen Curry scored 17 of his 21 points during the second half. Therefore, even though Mark Daigneault turned the other ear, Steve Kerr and Co were still able to gain an edge.

As a result, even Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was not able to enjoy his memorable night. Giving out an official statement, the player went on to state “It sucks. Me personally, I play to win. Winning comes first and foremost, and if I don’t win, I am not satisfied. So maybe my 52 points tonight wasn’t in the best interest of the team.”

Stephen Curry revealed that the OKC point guard’s performance did motivate the Warriors squad. As the Three-Point leader eloquently highlighted, “There’s a decision. Are you going to lay down, and just wave the White Flag?”. As the audience at the Chase Center got to see, the players did not lay down in despair. Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins especially pulled off a miracle.

If anything, the recent matchup proves as a testament to the potential that Wiggins holds. However, things are changing for the Warriors. If all goes as planned, then the win against OKC may be amongst the last games that the small forward plays for the Warriors.

Andrew Wiggins and 2 key players may be traded to make space for Zach LaVine

Given the Warriors’ precarious position this season, bolstering the squad has now become a priority. Stephen Curry has made it clear that any potential trade should not come at the expense of “depleting” the future. Therefore, the front office set out to finalize a deal before the February deadline. Over the last few days, the Warriors have been one of two franchises that Jimmy Butler has been linked to.

However, several reports also linked Stephen Curry and co. to Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine. As recently reported by Anthony Slater and Marcus Thompson II, there seems to be some progress in the pursuit of LaVine. Unfortunately, the same would cost the Warriors big.

According to the trade intel provided by the two Athletic reporters, the concern is there in the locker-room concern on which player could be enough to facilitate an acquisition of either LaVine or Butler. They listed Andrew Wiggins as the “obvious salary match” since he holds a $26.2 million cap figure. Meanwhile, according to Slater and Thompson II, the expiring contracts of Gary Payton II ($9.1 million) and Kevon Looney ($8 million) can also be used to work out a potential deal.

An important two-way contributor, Andrew Wiggins’ presence in the Warriors helps them immensely. At the same time, however, the Warriors need someone who compliments Stephen Curry’s 3-point shooting. Given that LaVine is reportedly averaging 24 points per game, with 51 percent overall and 44.6 percent from 3, he may be the ideal candidate. Whether the upcoming games may be the last one for Andrew Wiggins is something that remains to be seen.