Can the Warriors get Zach LaVine without giving up Andrew Wiggins?

With the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 6, the Golden State Warriors find themselves as one of the teams that could control how the balance of power in the league shifts. Jimmy Butler and Zach LaVine are two star players linked to the Warriors in trade rumors, resulting in a plethora of speculation about what the Dubs will actually do. Getting Stephen Curry help is a priority at the trade deadline, but is this something the organization will do at the expense of Andrew Wiggins?

Well, Wiggins is a key talking point because of the player he is and his value to Golden State.

Every team in the NBA is always searching for athletic two-way wings. Wiggins proved his value to the Warriors during the 2022 championship run, and it isn’t hard to call him one of the better two-way wings in the entire league given his production.

Aside from defending the opposing team’s best player every single night, Wiggins has shot 38.2 percent from three-point range since joining the Warriors during the 2019-20 season. Although inconsistencies exist in his game as a true No. 2 scoring option, Wiggins has arguably been Golden State’s second-most productive player next to Curry through the years.

It is also worth mentioning that Wiggins has always been a favorite of head coach Steve Kerr, and he is beloved by his teammates in the locker room. A trade involving Wiggins would cause a lot of reasons for concern for Golden State, especially since they failed to capitalize on and trade Chris Paul’s expiring contract for a star in the offseason.

The trade deadline is here, and because of the way this roster is structured, Wiggins finds himself in trade rumors. However, there is a sneaky way that the Warriors could still pursue an All-Star like LaVine and not have to sacrifice Wiggins in the process.

Even though this process would be super complicated and see the Dubs part ways with several key names, it may all be worthwhile to make one last championship push with Curry.

What a non-Wiggins trade for LaVine can look like

Golden State Warriors Receive: G Zach LaVine

Chicago Bulls receive: G Dennis Schroder, G Gary Payton II, G Buddy Hield, F Kyle Anderson, G Moses Moody, GSW 2025 1st-round pick

Before even diving into the logistics of how the Warriors could pull off what would end up being one of the most fascinating NBA trade deadline deals ever, it is worth noting two things specifically. The first is that this is simply a hypothetical scenario where adding LaVine and keeping Wiggins is a possibility. The second is that Dennis Schroder can’t be traded until Feb. 5 at the earliest, the day before the trade deadline.

Essentially, if the Warriors are going to pull off a big trade for Butler, LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, or someone else, it likely won’t be until the final 39 hours leading up to 3 PM Eastern Time on Feb. 6, the trade deadline.

So, back to the whole getting LaVine without giving up Wiggins thing. The clearest path to acquiring LaVine or Butler is to trade Wiggins with Schroder and another mid-tier contract like Buddy Hield or Kyle Anderson. A decision to part ways with Wiggins has been a concern within the Warriors organization, though, leading to the idea that there’s another path to making this go down.

LaVine is set to make $43 million and still has two more years left on his contract past this season. Any trade to get him will likely result in the Warriors becoming a second-apron team heading into the 2025-26 season, especially with Jonathan Kuminga set to become a restricted free agent.

Cap problems can once again become a problem for Golden State, which is why some would be in favor of a Butler trade — which can instantly free up a massive chunk of financial flexibility if he were to opt out of his $52 million player option after the season.

In regards to LaVine and getting a deal done without involving Wiggins, the math is simple. Schroder, Anderson, and Hield get you to $30.5 million in outgoing salaries. Add Gary Payton II’s contract in there, and you are just south of what’s needed for LaVine at $39.7 million.

Now comes the tough part of the trade for Golden State, as either Kevon Looney or Moses Moody gets you to the point where adding LaVine can happen. If Moody is the one going to Chicago with his poison pill restriction after agreeing to an extension before the season started, the Warriors would have only $2.8 million to work with before hitting their first-apron hard cap.

While possible with prorated salaries and two-way conversions, it’s hard to imagine this would be enough room to figure out roster spots for at least four more players. A prorated veteran salary at the trade deadline would come in around $700,000 to $800,000 for the remainder of the season. Trading five players and only getting one back while having $2.8 million to work with before the first apron isn’t a plausible scenario.

With this said, since the Warriors aren’t an apron team, they will be able to sign any player that gets bought out of their contract after the trade deadline to a prorated minimum contract for the rest of the season. That means players like Malcolm Brogdon, Bruce Brown, and potentially even Ben Simmons could all be names for Golden State to possibly sign. Then, Golden State could convert Quinten Post and Pat Spencer to minimum contracts, assuming they can remain below that first apron.

Obviously, trading LaVine for five players puts the Bulls above the tax line and isn’t realistic, so other teams would need to be involved to take on salary. Payton, Schroder, and Anderson would all likely draw interest from some teams willing to offer at least one second-round pick, which brings more value to the Bulls in addition to the 2025 first they get from Golden State.

This leads us to the next scenario of only acquiring LaVine without moving Wiggins.

Another, more complicated look at a trade

Golden State Warriors Receive: G Zach LaVine, F Torrey Craig, G Nick Smith Jr., F Taj Gibson, G Seth Curry

Chicago Bulls receive: G Dennis Schroder, G Gary Payton II, F Kyle Anderson, G Moses Moody, GSW 2025 1st-round pick

Charlotte Hornets receive: G Buddy Hield, G Talen Horton-Tucker, MIA 2025 2nd-round pick (protected 31-37, via GSW), GSW 2030 2nd-round pick, GSW 2031 2nd-round pick (MIN rights to swap)

Detroit Pistons receive: C Kevon Looney

The basis of getting LaVine without sacrificing Wiggins in the process is to keep the championship window open. Wiggins is a player the Warriors value, and regardless of the long-term financial situation that may present itself with this scenario, keeping Wiggins ensures that the Dubs have the two-way presence on the wing that’s needed in the West.

As far as the details of expanding the LaVine thoughts, this trade allows the Warriors to maintain Wiggins and remain below the first apron. At the same time, their bench is essentially destroyed and put back together with minimum contracts.

In this framework, the Warriors empty their second unit, including Looney and Moody, to add LaVine.

Torrey Craig, Seth Curry, and Taj Gibson are three veterans on minimum deals that help round out the bench unit, along with former first-round pick Nick Smith Jr. The Charlotte Hornets have made Smith available in trade talks this season and aren’t likely to get a first-round pick in return.

Although dealing six players is a lot, this trade leaves the Warriors with $2.2 million to spend with two open roster spots before reaching that first apron.

One spot could be filled by Post being converted from his two-way contract, and the other could be filled by a prorated minimum contract in the buyout market. In a perfect world, let’s say that buyout player became either Ben Simmons or Lonzo Ball. This would immediately bolster the Dubs’ chances of competing in the West this season.

For Chicago, they could flip either Anderson or Payton for more value in a separate trade, and they would be well compensated with Moody and a first-round pick. The other two teams, Detroit and Charlotte, each benefit as well.

Whereas the Hornets get a shooter and plenty of second-round assets, the Pistons essentially get Looney for free to help their chances of making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. Detroit still has a lot of cap space that can be used to absorb virtually any player’s contract at the trade deadline.

This destination for Looney is simply a placeholder, as several teams looking for frontcourt depth in the West would surely hold interest in the proven champion.

Is it possible for the Warriors to acquire Zach LaVine at the trade deadline without giving up Andrew Wiggins? These are just two of many different scenarios that clearly show that Golden State is capable of doing so.

Whether or not it will happen is an answer that will appear over the next six days.