Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers has cut so many incredible deals during his time in charge, it’s hardly a shock that he was able to do the same with Andrew Wiggins at the peak of the forward’s value.
Wiggins signed a four-year extension with the Warriors worth $109 million over the weekend, one that will knock his annual value down by about $10 million a year after this season.
So why would Wiggins agree to such a deal? Warriors beat writer Monte Poole pointed to two reasons when he joined Tolbert & Copes on Monday afternoon.
“I thought if he were to sign it before the season that would be why [he took a cut],” Poole began. “That the Warriors would think, ‘Okay, he’s taking a cut now, we don’t know if he’ll do it at the end of the season, let’s do it.’ But I wasn’t totally surprised because he’s been really consistent in saying that he loves it here, and winning a championship I think gave him a sort of different mindset.”
There’s also the fact that Wiggins, a former No. 1 overall pick, has made a ton of money throughout his career. Wiggins was once considered the most overpaid player in the league after signing a max deal with the struggling Timberwolves, now he might be one of the most underpaid.
“Here’s a guy who has already made a ton of NBA money,” Poole concluded. “He got the max deal in Minnesota. Andrew, at the end of this deal will have made close to $300 million in his career.”
Wiggins was excellent for the Warriors in 2021-22, and was named an All-Star starter for the first time. Wiggins was especially good during the postseason and in the NBA Finals, where he was the Warriors’ second-most reliable scorer and best perimeter defender.
Listen to the full interview below. You can listen to every KNBR interview on our podcast page at knbr.com/podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Catch Tolbert & Copes weekdays from 2 – 6 p.m. on KNBR 104.5 / 680 and streaming live on KNBR.com.
