It was eye-opening to me that Wiggins signed for so much less than he's
currently making. Raises my opinion of him by A LOT! -AL

==============================================================

Kurtenbach: Andrew Wiggins’ eight-figure sacrifice speaks volumes about
him, the Warriors’ culture
Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole are locked up
long-term, and thanks to Wiggins' deal, the Warriors' luxury tax issues
are far more manageable.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
Wiggins (22) reacts to missing a shot against Boston Celtics in the
third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News
Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
Wiggins (22) reacts to missing a shot against Boston Celtics in the
third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News
Group)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: October 15, 2022 at 4:06 p.m. | UPDATED: October 15, 2022 at
4:12 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/10/15/kurtenbach-andrew-wiggins-eight-figure-sacrifice-speaks-volumes-about-him-the-warriors-culture/

So much for the Warriors’ culture being broken by Draymond Green’s punch.

I’d say it’s still pretty damn strong, considering that Jordan Poole
signed a four-year extension worth up to $140 million on Saturday
morning, and then, Saturday afternoon, Andrew Wiggins agreed to a new
four-year, $109 million extension.

The two deals bolster the Warriors’ title chances for both this upcoming
season and years to come.

Poole’s deal was market value. The Warriors and Poole’s struck a fair
balance between past performance and future potential. If Poole becomes
the heir apparent to Steph Curry, he will do it in a Warriors uniform.

Poole was sucker-punched by his veteran teammate earlier this month, but
there is nothing but good vibes coming off that deal.

But it’s Wiggins’ new contract that shows this Warriors team operates at
an entirely different level.

Wiggins isn’t much of a talker, but the value of his new deal speaks
volumes about what Steph Curry, general manager Bob Myers and coach
Steve Kerr have built over the last four years.

What the Warriors have is rare. So when Wiggins took as much as a 30
percent pay cut to stick with Golden State until his age-31 season, it’s
anything but insignificant. It might even be unprecedented.

It’s one thing for Curry not to demand a renegotiation of his four-year,
$44 million contract amid the Warriors’ early title hunts — despite his
ascension to becoming the two-time league MVP.

It’s a whole other thing for Wiggins to turn his moment of peak leverage
into less money.

This is the ultimate winning move. Tom Brady — who has famously taken
less money in New England and Tampa Bay to improve the team around him
(and win Super Bowls) — would approve.

Wiggins is in his prime. He’s coming off an incredible postseason where
he was the second-most-valuable player on a championship team. And with
all that working for him, he’s forgoing unrestricted free agency and
passing up big money on what is likely his last big-money contract.

While it no doubt helps that Wiggins will have made nearly $200 million
by the time his new deal kicks in next season, this deal means that no
one can ever question this man’s desire to win again. He’s now above
reproach.

Not once in any of the four years on Wiggins’ new contract will he make
as much as he will this season ($33.6 million).

He won’t make as much as he did last season ($31.6 million).

He’ll make less than what he did as a 23-year-old. He’ll make less than
Poole — a player who has achieved less than him as a professional —
moving forward.

And he signed this deal with full knowledge of those facts and a smile
on his face.

Why? Because after roaming for years, Wiggins has found a basketball
home. The Warriors took a chance on him — it paid off handsomely for all
parties. Yet it’s Wiggins giving money back.

Once considered the most overpaid player in the league, he’ll likely be
the league’s most underpaid player under his new deal.

But in taking a pay cut, the chances that the Warriors will be able to
keep all their top players — Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were on
the chopping block because of luxury tax concerns — significantly increased.

Before Wiggins’ extension, the Warriors were guaranteed to lose a ‘max
contract’ spot at the end of this season — the luxury tax on all those
deals was simply too punitive to manage.

So Wiggins decided that he no longer needed to be a max player.

>RELATED ARTICLES
Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole agree to contract extensions with Warriors
Kurtenbach: Jordan Poole has a new Warriors contract. That means
someone else has to go
Warriors, Jordan Poole agree to 4-year contract extension: sources
Warriors roster moves: Golden State give two-way deals to Ty Jerome,
Anthony Lamb
Klay Thompson shows no signs of rust in Warriors’ preseason finale

The luxury-tax problem isn’t solved, but it can be managed, and that’s a
huge win for the Dubs.

With Wiggins’ signature, he saved the Warriors roughly $50 million in
luxury tax for the 2023-24 season — the first of Poole and Wiggins’ new
deals. The Warriors will still be paying roughly $480 million if
everyone sticks around, but with this team’s revenue, that might be doable.

And if the Warriors can find a way to keep the gang together for another
season after that, the NBA will likely see a massive spike in the salary
cap, thanks to new media deals. That spike might alleviate significant
luxury tax concerns.

Forget “Two-Way” Wiggs. This man is elite at offense, defense and
accounting. That’s “Three-Way” Wiggs, to me.

Ultimately, it comes down to a simple truth: it’s all about
championships. That’s something Curry, Kerr and Myers believe to their
cores.

Wiggins showed Saturday that he does, too.

And with him and Poole locked up for years to come, the Warriors are in
a position to repeat as champions this season and for many years to come.

Allen wrote:
> It was eye-opening to me that Wiggins signed for so much less than he's
> currently making. Raises my opinion of him by A LOT!  -AL
>
> ==============================================================
>
> Kurtenbach: Andrew Wiggins’ eight-figure sacrifice speaks volumes about
> him, the Warriors’ culture
> Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole are locked up
> long-term, and thanks to Wiggins' deal, the Warriors' luxury tax issues
> are far more manageable.
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
> Wiggins (22) reacts to missing a shot against Boston Celtics in the
> third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San
> Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News
> Group)
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 13: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew
> Wiggins (22) reacts to missing a shot against Boston Celtics in the
> third quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San
> Francisco, Calif., on Monday, June 13, 2022. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News
> Group)
> By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
> Group
> PUBLISHED: October 15, 2022 at 4:06 p.m. | UPDATED: October 15, 2022 at
> 4:12 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/10/15/kurtenbach-andrew-wiggins-eight-figure-sacrifice-speaks-volumes-about-him-the-warriors-culture/
>
>
>
> So much for the Warriors’ culture being broken by Draymond Green’s punch.
>
> I’d say it’s still pretty damn strong, considering that Jordan Poole
> signed a four-year extension worth up to $140 million on Saturday
> morning, and then, Saturday afternoon, Andrew Wiggins agreed to a new
> four-year, $109 million extension.
>
> The two deals bolster the Warriors’ title chances for both this upcoming
> season and years to come.
>
> Poole’s deal was market value. The Warriors and Poole’s struck a fair
> balance between past performance and future potential. If Poole becomes
> the heir apparent to Steph Curry, he will do it in a Warriors uniform.
>
> Poole was sucker-punched by his veteran teammate earlier this month, but
> there is nothing but good vibes coming off that deal.
>
> But it’s Wiggins’ new contract that shows this Warriors team operates at
> an entirely different level.
>
> Wiggins isn’t much of a talker, but the value of his new deal speaks
> volumes about what Steph Curry, general manager Bob Myers and coach
> Steve Kerr have built over the last four years.
>
> What the Warriors have is rare. So when Wiggins took as much as a 30
> percent pay cut to stick with Golden State until his age-31 season, it’s
> anything but insignificant. It might even be unprecedented.
>
> It’s one thing for Curry not to demand a renegotiation of his four-year,
> $44 million contract amid the Warriors’ early title hunts — despite his
> ascension to becoming the two-time league MVP.
>
> It’s a whole other thing for Wiggins to turn his moment of peak leverage
> into less money.
>
> This is the ultimate winning move. Tom Brady — who has famously taken
> less money in New England and Tampa Bay to improve the team around him
> (and win Super Bowls) — would approve.
>
> Wiggins is in his prime. He’s coming off an incredible postseason where
> he was the second-most-valuable player on a championship team. And with
> all that working for him, he’s forgoing unrestricted free agency and
> passing up big money on what is likely his last big-money contract.
>
> While it no doubt helps that Wiggins will have made nearly $200 million
> by the time his new deal kicks in next season, this deal means that no
> one can ever question this man’s desire to win again. He’s now above
> reproach.
>
> Not once in any of the four years on Wiggins’ new contract will he make
> as much as he will this season ($33.6 million).
>
> He won’t make as much as he did last season ($31.6 million).
>
> He’ll make less than what he did as a 23-year-old. He’ll make less than
> Poole — a player who has achieved less than him as a professional —
> moving forward.
>
> And he signed this deal with full knowledge of those facts and a smile
> on his face.
>
> Why? Because after roaming for years, Wiggins has found a basketball
> home. The Warriors took a chance on him — it paid off handsomely for all
> parties. Yet it’s Wiggins giving money back.
>
> Once considered the most overpaid player in the league, he’ll likely be
> the league’s most underpaid player under his new deal.
>
> But in taking a pay cut, the chances that the Warriors will be able to
> keep all their top players — Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were on
> the chopping block because of luxury tax concerns — significantly
> increased.
>
> Before Wiggins’ extension, the Warriors were guaranteed to lose a ‘max
> contract’ spot at the end of this season — the luxury tax on all those
> deals was simply too punitive to manage.
>
> So Wiggins decided that he no longer needed to be a max player.
>
> >RELATED ARTICLES
>   Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole agree to contract extensions with Warriors
>   Kurtenbach: Jordan Poole has a new Warriors contract. That means
> someone else has to go
>   Warriors, Jordan Poole agree to 4-year contract extension: sources
>   Warriors roster moves: Golden State give two-way deals to Ty Jerome,
> Anthony Lamb
>   Klay Thompson shows no signs of rust in Warriors’ preseason finale
>
> The luxury-tax problem isn’t solved, but it can be managed, and that’s a
> huge win for the Dubs.
>
> With Wiggins’ signature, he saved the Warriors roughly $50 million in
> luxury tax for the 2023-24 season — the first of Poole and Wiggins’ new
> deals. The Warriors will still be paying roughly $480 million if
> everyone sticks around, but with this team’s revenue, that might be doable.
>
> And if the Warriors can find a way to keep the gang together for another
> season after that, the NBA will likely see a massive spike in the salary
> cap, thanks to new media deals. That spike might alleviate significant
> luxury tax concerns.
>
> Forget “Two-Way” Wiggs. This man is elite at offense, defense and
> accounting. That’s “Three-Way” Wiggs, to me.
>
> Ultimately, it comes down to a simple truth: it’s all about
> championships. That’s something Curry, Kerr and Myers believe to their
> cores.
>
> Wiggins showed Saturday that he does, too.
>
> And with him and Poole locked up for years to come, the Warriors are in
> a position to repeat as champions this season and for many years to come.

Great news, and great article! Thanks Allen for posting it.

--Robin

I was surprised that Wiggins signed the extension so early. But I guess the Warriors had to have that conversation.

I imagine that when Klay's contract is up, he might take less as well.

DL

On Saturday, October 15, 2022 at 8:31:25 PM UTC-7, Robin Miller wrote:

> > Wiggins showed Saturday that he does, too.
> >
> > And with him and Poole locked up for years to come, the Warriors are in
> > a position to repeat as champions this season and for many years to come.
> Great news, and great article! Thanks Allen for posting it.
>
> --Robin