Andrew Wiggins took the court for pregame warmups Wednesday while a member of the Warriors.
Upon exiting the court in Utah, an assistant coach, security guard and Golden State’s Steph Curry all approached him, per ESPN.
Once inside the locker room, several players shook his hand before he would leave to join the Heat after being traded for Jimmy Butler in a four-team trade.
The timing of the trade right before a game seemingly did not sit well with the Warriors, who lost to the lowly Jazz, 131-128.
“Kevon Looney described seeing many of his teammates traded less than an hour before the game as ‘bitter,’” according to ESPN Ohm’s Youngmisuk. “He said he expects Jimmy Butler to come in and have an impact and will be a lot of fun playing alongside him.
Many on social media like to joke about fans are on “hug watch” before the trade deadline with teammates embracing on the bench/dugout usually being the sign of a pending team.
It had been no secret that the Warriors had their sights on acquiring a star to play alongside Curry in an attempt to make a push at perhaps one last championship in their dynasty.
That led to an awkward situation for Golden State with a game on tap.
The Warriors closed their locker room to media during the allotted time Wednesday to allow Kerr to speak to his team, which included Curry being summoned from the court during his warmups.
Kerr later had an awkward situation during his postgame media session when asked about the meeting, with him asking an unseen person whether he could address the pending trade.
The uneasiness of it all left Kerr vouching for a change to the NBA’s schedule.
“It always feels different,” Kerr said after his team fell to 25-25. “I think the league should consider making the trade deadline at the All-Star break just so you don’t have to face these games where guys are getting traded half an hour before a game and your trying to process the emotions and win a game. I don’t know if it’s possible, but it would be great if we could move it back or make the last couple of days before the deadline like off days. I don’t know how to do it, but these are tough days for sure.”
The Warriors clearly believe that landing Butler, who reportedly signed a two-year extension with the team, is an upgrade over Wiggins, but that doesn’t make the move any easier to stomach.
Wiggins, in his sixth year with the team, is averaging 17.6 points and 4.6 rebounds.
The Warriors also sent traded Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schroder and a first-round pick in the deal, which included the Jazz and Pistons.
Golden State is in a three-way tie for the ninth seed with the Kings and Suns and just one half-game behind the Mavericks for the eighth seed with 32 games remaining.
“You develop these relationships with guys,” Kerr said. “They give you everything and commit to the team. They got families. Wigs just had a baby boy last week. … Wigs is one of my favorite players I’ve ever coached. Just a beautiful soul, just a wonderful human being.
“We don’t hang that banner in ’22 without him. Everything he brings, every single day, the laughter, the smile, the joy. … I am going to miss him and the other guys too.”
