The career of Andrew Wiggins will always have that “what if” question to it, meaning what if he stayed in Cleveland with Lebron? How would things have been? Unfortunately we never got to see because of the Wiggins for Kevin Love trade, which on the surface seemed like a good trade for Cleveland to help them win a championship sooner. Apparently though there may have been another reason Bron wanted Wiggins out of Cleveland as well.
@IamJoeSports
ESPN.com basketball scribe Brian Windhorst joined Tony Rizzo and WKNR’s “Really Big Show” as a guest and provided some excellent insight in to the Cleveland Cavaliers and their current wart-filled winning streak. Windy discussed Kevin Love’s offensive struggles, the team’s lack of “plays,” and James’ wrist. But what may be the most intriguing part, at least from a pulling-back-the-curtain standpoint, is the back-channel interworking of James, his marketing firm LRMR, and Wiggins.
At about the 22-minute mark of his interview on Tuesday morning, Windhorst offered the following:
Let me draw a bit of a map for you. Andrew Wiggins is from Toronto-area Canada, right? Tristan Thompson is from the Toronto area. Cory Joseph, who wound up playing for the San Antonio Spurs, is also from the Toronto area and is also represented by LeBron—by Rich Paul and LeBron. Obviously, you can imagine, because of their relationship with Canadian basketball and getting players out of there that they were on Wiggins as a potential representation player very early and he did not choose to go with them. That choice was made before the Cavs even won the lottery; the decision was made long before that. There was a chance for Andrew Wiggins to “join up with LeBron” before LeBron had a chance to pair up with Wiggins. Just keep that in mind. …
I also think LeBron wanted Kevin Love, so that was a factor. I think the issue is Wiggins said that he never heard from LeBron. Kyrie Irving heard from LeBron. Dion [Waiters] heard from LeBron—that story of ‘get yourself ready.’ They made the deal in mid-July. LeBron had been a Cav for several weeks before the deal was struck and still never reached out to him. You could tell, Wiggins passed up the opportunity to join LeBron’s team…
Windhorst and Rizzo waxed nostalgic about James and Wiggins going at one another in the Cavs’ recent win. When asked point blank if he believes Wiggins would still be a member of the Cavaliers had he signed with LRMR, Windhorst said, “I do.”
I certainly would hope Lebron wouldn’t get in his feelings because of a personal decision Wiggins made for himself, but you never really know. Athletes tend to be overly sensitive at times but I can’t see Bron being like that. Windhorst is a pretty reliable source though.
Joe Casey @IamJoeSports
