Warriors' Andrew Wiggins eyed by two contenders ahead of NBA trade deadline

Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is averaging career-lows in points (12.2), minutes (27.1) and field goal attempts (10.6) in his 10th season in the league. However, many believe the former No. 1 overall pick could still be a valuable contributor to a playoff team -- especially on the defensive side of the ball.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Bucks have joined the Mavericks as another playoff-bound team interested in acquiring Wiggins ahead of the Feb. 8 NBA trade deadline.

"Wiggins is the Warrior who's generated the most significant trade chatter around the league. He remains a player in consideration for the Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks, league sources told Yahoo Sports," Fischer wrote.

For the Bucks to acquire Wiggins, who's in the first year of his 4-year, $109 million contract, they'd need to give up Bobby Portis in any outgoing package. Such a move, Fischer noted, would require a "long and hard" think on their part since Portis has been viewed as the heart and soul of the Bucks franchise over the past few years, who played a vital role in their 2021 championship run.

Fischer added that Warriors and Team USA coach Steve Kerr enjoyed coaching Portis during last summer's FIBA World Cup, and could therefore push his front office to pull the trigger on the trade.

The Mavericks, meanwhile, could build a package around either Grant Williams ($12.2 million) or Tim Hardaway Jr. ($17.8 million). Still, Fischer believes "it would take far more" than Grant as the primary piece, and that the Mavs could be forced into adding a first-round pick to lure Golden State.

"The Mavericks are known to be including either Williams or Tim Hardaway Jr. as the larger-salary player with which Dallas is exploring several frontcourt options with shooting ability, plus some defensive chops, sources said. And the Mavs are willing to spend their 2027 first-round pick for the right option," Fischer added.

Both the Bucks and Mavs are grappling with severe defensive woes, and while Wiggins might not be the automatic fix to their problems, his recent track record can't be ignored. Just two years ago, Wiggins played stellar on-ball defense on Jayson Tatum to help the Warriors beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Even last year, the Warriors had the best-ranked defense when the five-man lineup of Kevon Looney, Draymond Green, Wiggins, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were on the floor.