The Golden State Warriors’ trade of D’Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins and the pick that became Jonathan Kuminga was a long time coming when it was executed early in 2020.
“The rumors were around, almost even in that summer [of 2019],” Wiggins recalls. “I was prepared for anything.”
The agents for Wiggins pressed Bob Myers behind the scenes on whether the Warriors were interested in him as a player or as salary fodder for a trade down the line. Myers insisted they liked Wiggins.
“There were months of conversations,” Myers says. “Probably as much as any trade I’ve ever done.”
The Warriors initially asked Minnesota for two unprotected first-round picks and two second-rounders. Gersson Rosas briefly cut off talks because he viewed the Golden State demands as overaggressive. Myers relented on the two first rounders if it was unprotected. The two sides haggled for a few more days before agreeing to a top-3 protection.