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January 25, 2021 | 3:21 pm EST Update
Andrew Wiggins: Trade from Timberwolves to Warriors worked for both teams
Andrew Wiggins has no illusions about how some Timberwolves fans may view the five-plus seasons Wiggins spent in Minnesota — that some wanted more out of his time here than just one playoff appearance after the Wolves traded for the 2014 No. 1 overall pick in the summer he was drafted. If ever fans wondered if Wiggins heard the jeers along with the cheers: he did. “Shoot, they probably got a lot of mixed feelings,” Wiggins said in a recent interview with the Star Tribune. “So it is what it is over there. Some might love me. Some might hate me.”
As Wiggins gets ready to face his former team for the first time Monday, he harbors no ill will toward fans, the franchise or President Gersson Rosas for trading him. In fact, he sounded thankful for the fresh start — and recognized that maybe he wasn’t the ideal fit to play with Towns that Russell could be.
“Looking back, I feel like [the trade] worked in the best favor for both teams,” Wiggins said. “Golden State needed a wing that could defend and just play his game, and Minnesota — they needed someone that could play with KAT, create with KAT, playmake. They needed a PG, you know? I feel like it worked out in the best favor for both.”
Wiggins was never one to take things personally and had the kind of laid-back personality that would let the criticism run off his lanky shoulders. It was also that personality that endeared him to teammates over the years, even if his play didn’t live up to fans’ lofty expectations. “They might boo you and they might say some stuff during the game, but once I left the atmosphere and I left Target Center, I never felt no negativity,” Wiggins said. “Whatever was left was left in the gym. Once I left that world, left Target Center, there was never no disrespect or nothing like that around the city. So it was cool.”
Wiggins said he had no hard feelings toward the organization and Rosas, especially since the Wolves traded him to a place in Golden State with championship DNA. The Warriors are 8-8 this season and in the early mix to return to the postseason after going just 15-50 while crushed by injuries a year ago. “It’s part of the business. It’s never personal …” Wiggins said. “It’s all love with those guys. We had special moments. We had good times together, but this is all just part of the business. They sent me to a good situation. You know, if they would’ve sent me to a [bad] situation, then it would’ve been, ‘All right.’ But they sent me to a great situation, so I’m thankful for that.”
Dane Moore: Ryan Saunders on Andrew Wiggins: “I think they have him in a great role — doing things that will be able to carry over years with Steph, with Draymond… The ball doesn’t stick.”
