Is Andrew Wiggins Worth Max Deal?
Everybody seems to know by now that Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland. Because of this, many teams such as the Spurs, Knicks, Heat and Timberwolves have spent the last week on the phone putting together trade packages to potentially land the superstar in their respective city. Andrew Wiggins has been floated around as a trade piece from Minnesota. That said, the question looms - is Andrew Wiggins worth a max contract?
Andrew Wiggins has made it very clear in the past week that he will accept nothing less than $148 million to extend his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. 2017-18 is the final year of his rookie contract. Because Jeff Teague cannot be traded until December, it looks like the Timberwolves will either need to utilize Andrew Wiggins as a trade piece for the Cleveland superstar, or decide that he's worth the max contract and pay him the money. Wiggins has became a better scorer each year, averaging about 17, 21, and 24 points per game in his first three years in the league. That said, his rebounding and assist totals have been stagnant. $150 million dollars is a lot of money, and we don't want to spend it on a guy who maybe isn't the playmaker we thought he might be given time (We all remember the Rudy Gay blunder in Memphis). Wiggins' athleticism should allow for higher rebound numbers, though him playing the 2 as opposed to the 3 may play a factor here.
You might think that Wiggins isn't worth the contract. I did too, but then I was reminded of this statistic - Andrew Wiggins is one of 16 players in the HISTORY of the NBA to score over 23 points per game before he turned 22 years old. This guy is only 21! With Karl-Anthony Towns progressing into an NBA superstar and the acquisition of an already established star in Jimmy Butler, being the 3rd option on a contending team might be exactly what Wiggins needs to enhance his game. There will be less pressure on him to score with Teague, Butler, and Crawford now on the roster, which feels like a perfect way for a young 21 year old with potential through the roof to focus on fine-tuning some of the intangibles.
Do you think we should make the trade?
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