Since adding Jimmy Butler, the Golden State Warriors have gone 12-2 and have pulled themselves up from the bottom of the Play-In Tournament race and into the Western Conference playoff picture. They are the hottest team in the NBA, and with hindsight might be the biggest winners of the NBA trade deadline.
However, early February was not easy for the franchise. While they added a superstar in Butler, it came at a cost, as one-time All-Star and 2022 champion Andrew Wiggins got shipped out to the Miami Heat.
In a selfless act, one player opined that he wished it was him who was traded instead because he means a lot less to the franchise.
In the days after the trade, reports emerged that Steve Kerr was teary when he informed his players that they had been traded, and dealing Wiggins away was especially tough.
Wiggins had his ups and downs during his time in Golden State, but he was a key member to their last championship and established himself as one of the better two-way wings in the game while playing for the Warriors.
"When guys were traded, it was a rough day for [Kerr]," Hield said on 95.7 The Game. "Especially with Wiggs, it was emotional in that locker room. I was even more emotional because I wish it was me that got traded because Wiggs did so much for this franchise. For a guy like that, I hated to see him go like that because he's done so much for this franchise. And I said, 'Man, I wish that was me,' because he's put his mark on this franchise, and I know how much he meant to this franchise and the city of San Fran."
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Hield's salary was not enough to come close to matching Butler's, and with the way the Heat are playing right now, Hield is probably happy not to be in Miami right now, although he is right. Wiggins certainly left his mark both on and off the court.
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This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 12:10 PM.