In Friday night's 140-131 victory over the Chicago Bulls at United Center, Andrew Wiggins achieved a number of things for the Warriors.
Wiggins, who hadn't played in a game in almost a month, returned to the starting lineup and showed that he can still be an important part of the Warriors' efforts to turn around their disastrous 2023–24 NBA season. The former first-round pick also dispelled any concerns regarding his and Jonathan Kuminga's compatibility on the field.
Against Chicago guard Coby White, who played against Wiggins in the third quarter and finished with 25 points, Wiggins came up huge defensively. White scored only two points in the quarter.
n addition to his 17 points, Wiggins finished with 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block. Wiggins had not scored that many points since the Warriors' Christmas Day loss to the Nuggets, when he scored 22. Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game, "I thought Wiggs was great." I paraphrase. "He was just brilliant. To begin the third quarter, he pushed Coby White.
Perhaps even more crucially, Wiggins' play vs the Bulls certainly increased his market worth in the event that the Warriors decide to sell him before the NBA trade deadline on February 8. He and Kuminga have both been mentioned as potential trade targets.
Despite the victory over the Bulls, the Warriors still sit in 12th place of the Western Conference, and first-year GM Mike Dunleavy's future trade plans have been the subject of much conjecture.
After Wednesday's loss to the Pelicans, Stephen Curry basically said that the Warriors would need to make a deal when asked about the possibility. "If everything remains unchanged, wouldn't that be the epitome of madness?" Curry told the newsmen. "Keep doing the same thing expecting a different result.
Throughout the season, Wiggins has seen time in and out of the Warriors starting lineup. In early December, Kuminga replaced him, and during that run, Wiggins scored ten points or more while playing off the bench in seven of eight games.