Wiggins believes move will benefit him in the long-term…
NBA rookie Andrew Wiggins has confided in his former college coach and revealed that he wants to be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this summer.
While Wiggins declined to comment to reporters at Bill Self’s basketball camp in Kansas City on Sunday, he did speak with his former coach earlier this summer to share his thoughts on the current situation he faces in entering the NBA.
“When all this trade stuff started, I talked to Andrew and Andrew told me, ‘I hope I get traded,'” Self said, ESPN reports.
“And I’m like, ‘No you don’t.’ And he said, ‘Coach, I do. It’s better for me, knowing my personality and what I need to do, to go somewhere where I’m forced to be something as opposed to going in there where they’re going to be patient with me and I’m going to be a piece.'”
Last week, it was widely reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers had agreed to a trade deal for power forward Kevin Love which would send Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a future first-round pick to Minnesota.
However, the deal will not be completed until August 24 after Wiggins signed his rookie deal which makes him ineligible for trade for 30 days, and as a result there is still some concern that factors may arise which could put the move in jeopardy.
Self conceded that while it is almost every player’s dream to play alongside LeBron James, a move to Minnesota would give Wiggins the opportunity to become great and ensure he has a long and successful career ahead of him.
It is acknowledged that while Wiggins’ defensive skills will undoubtedly help the Timberwolves add some solidity to their game, his game will also arguably compliment the up-tempo style that the franchise adopts with point guard Ricky Rubio leading the orchestra.
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