The Wiggins Problem

[Lipoli390]

My long-standing concerns about Wiggins have gone beyond mere concerns to the point where I believe we have what I'd call a "Wiggins problem." The problem is this. We have a one-dimensional (score-only) player who has shown no meaningful signs of developing beyond his one dimension and who also shows no signs of improving his scoring. He's scoring less and no more efficiently. His ball-handling hasn't improved at all. Recognizing his poor ball-handling, NBA teams have adjusted and are now denying the dribble penetration game he used to exhibit. Hence, he's not scoring at the rim as much as he used to and he's not getting to foul line as much either. While showing a few flashes of better defense and rebounding, his stats don't show it.

Now a third of his way through his 4th season, the luster he had when drafted and even just a year ago has faded considerably and continues to fade at an accelerating rate. Even worse, he's now saddled with a 5-year max deal. In other words, it's going to be very difficult to trade him for decent return and his trade value is sinking by the game. In retrospect, the Wolves should have traded him straight up for Jimmy this past summer or kept Ricky and possibly traded Wiggins and Ricky for Kyrie. But we're at a point where I don't think we could even get the Bucks' Middleton or the Sixers' Covington in return for Wiggins.

So at this point it appears we have no choice but to keep Wiggins and hope that he surprises us with a transformational leap forward later this season or next season. But I'd sure like to believe there's a team out there willing to give us a really nice asset in return for Wiggins yet this season -- a team that believes they could bring out the star in him. After Hayward went down at the beginning of the season, I had some thoughts about offering Wiggins for Brown or Jason Tatum, thinking the Celtics would be desperate for a more experienced talented wing. Unfortunately, the Celtics are the opposite of desperate while Brown and Tatum are both playing better than the older more experienced Wiggins.

I'd be interested in any realistic Wiggins trade ideas. Thoughts?

[Wolvesfan21]

This is a I told you so, even though I wasn't on this board for long. I was on KFAN's board and pleaded constantly to NOT TRADE LaVine and if they wanted to trade one of the two it better be Wiggins.

Wiggins looks way too often, lackadaisical, he looks lost, his shot has developed Ricky Rubio disease, his handles are ping pong paddles, looks unmotivated and soft. His passing is putrid, his defense is weak and now he has gone on vacation aka Chandler Parsons. A Max player who just doesn't give a crap and is probably the worst starting SF in the league.

We couldn't get Chandler Parsons for him.

Somehow we just have to hope he regains his old form which was at least he could score.

[AbeVigodaLive]

Reward a 22-year-old for being inconsistent with his effort for 3 seasons with more money than many of us can even fathom...

... and then expect him to go above and beyond after he's already eaten all the carrots?

Many humans just don't work like that.

[Wolvesfan21]

Wiggins and Dieng + picks for Cousins

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

I was really hoping his efficiency would take a leap this year, with the theory being he was shouldering less of a load and could really play off Butler and KAT to get some easier looks off cuts and spot up 3's. Instead, he's missing his open shots and most of his offense comes off of the same one-on-one high-degree-of-difficulty shots we've seen in the past. And to add to all that, he has the yips at the free throw line.

I really have no idea what his value is on the open market. There might be a GM/coach that feel he could still be a major piece of the puzzle, but I have to believe that market is drying up quickly. I am absolutely convinced a lower usage 3 & D wing would be more valuable to our current team than Wiggins. We have scorers in the starting unit (KAT, Butler, and Teague). We need a guy that can knock down 3's to create more space for everyone else, while holding his own defensively. Covington is the absolutely perfect example of this type of player.

My guess is that Thibs is too invested in Wiggins to do anything. We need to just keep hoping something clicks with this guy at some point.

[Monster]

Wiggins isn't going anywhere and so I am happy about that. If he was made available over half the league would be offering packages to take him off our hands. For one thing wings are some of the most valuable positions because of the depth of talent at that spot.

I get the reasons people want to jump off the Wiggins band wagon but let's also be somewhat realistic here. You have a lengthy very athletic 6'8" wing that has shown ability to score hasn't grown into his body yet and turns 23 in a couple months. He is going to have a lot of value going forward yet. Guys like Wiggins are gonna get paid even when money is getting tight around the league. I'm not gonna spend time looking at various Wiggins scenarios.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Wiggins isn't going anywhere and so I am happy about that. If he was made available over half the league would be offering packages to take him off our hands. For one thing wings are some of the most valuable positions because of the depth of talent at that spot.

I get the reasons people want to jump off the Wiggins band wagon but let's also be somewhat realistic here. You have a lengthy very athletic 6'8" wing that has shown ability to score hasn't grown into his body yet and turns 23 in a couple months. He is going to have a lot of value going forward yet. Guys like Wiggins are gonna get paid even when money is getting tight around the league. I'm not gonna spend time looking at various Wiggins scenarios.

But we've been hearing this since he was taken #1 four years ago. At what point do actual results matter? Year 5, Year 7, Year 10?

To me, he is headed well down the Rudy Gay/Jeff Green path.....

[AbeVigodaLive]

Wiggins isn't going anywhere and so I am happy about that. If he was made available over half the league would be offering packages to take him off our hands. For one thing wings are some of the most valuable positions because of the depth of talent at that spot.

I get the reasons people want to jump off the Wiggins band wagon but let's also be somewhat realistic here. You have a lengthy very athletic 6'8" wing that has shown ability to score hasn't grown into his body yet and turns 23 in a couple months. He is going to have a lot of value going forward yet. Guys like Wiggins are gonna get paid even when money is getting tight around the league. I'm not gonna spend time looking at various Wiggins scenarios.

But we've been hearing this since he was taken #1 four years ago. At what point do actual results matter? Year 5, Year 7, Year 10?

To me, he is headed well down the Rudy Gay/Jeff Green path.....

I've seen the "better than" Demar DeRozan comps. Then, we revised to Demar DeRozan v2.0. Then, we dropped to Rudy Gay. And now there's a Jeff Green sighting.

Holy shitballs. Things just got serious.

[Monster]

Wiggins isn't going anywhere and so I am happy about that. If he was made available over half the league would be offering packages to take him off our hands. For one thing wings are some of the most valuable positions because of the depth of talent at that spot.

I get the reasons people want to jump off the Wiggins band wagon but let's also be somewhat realistic here. You have a lengthy very athletic 6'8" wing that has shown ability to score hasn't grown into his body yet and turns 23 in a couple months. He is going to have a lot of value going forward yet. Guys like Wiggins are gonna get paid even when money is getting tight around the league. I'm not gonna spend time looking at various Wiggins scenarios.

But we've been hearing this since he was taken #1 four years ago. At what point do actual results matter? Year 5, Year 7, Year 10?

To me, he is headed well down the Rudy Gay/Jeff Green path.....

I've seen the "better than" Demar DeRozan comps. Then, we revised to Demar DeRozan v2.0. Then, we dropped to Rudy Gay. And now there's a Jeff Green sighting.

Holy shitballs. Things just got serious.

Jeff Green? Give be a break seriously.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It's not as preposterous as you might think Monster:

Career PER/WS48/TS%:
Gay - 16.7/.086/.533
Wiggins - 15.4/.054/.530
Green - 13.2/.073/.528

What is so different about these guys? Age, height, and combine vertical numbers can't continue to be used to extol the virtues of his potential. He's no longer a draft prospect.