Former No. 1 pick Andrew Wiggins, a forward for the Golden State Warriors, has presented his team with a major issue ahead of the 2021-22 season.
The city of San Francisco is requiring vaccinations for those participating in all forms of indoor entertainment. That includes Golden State Warriors home games at the Chase Center.
Wiggins remains unvaccinated, and according to reports, he doesn’t appear willing to budge on the issue. It is believed that the NBA may grant Wiggins a religious exemption to bypass the issue, but there is no guarantee that the city does the same.
While Wiggins isn’t at the level of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, or Draymond Green, he’s become a pretty important player for Golden State. Last season, he was second on the team with 18.6 points per game. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith thinks there is a pretty clear choice for the Warriors: Wiggins has to be traded.
The Warriors should trade Andrew Wiggins today. pic.twitter.com/mJh7y4yfWK
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) September 23, 2021
“They should trade Andrew Wiggins today, period. Get rid of him. Send him someplace else,” Smith said on First Take. “This is not a hard situation, not a hard decision for me.”
Right now, San Francisco and New York are the only two cities with this type of mandate for local workers. Smith says it is absolutely not worth it to Golden State to keep him on the roster if he can’t play in half of the team’s games.
“Andrew Wiggins, right now because of the vaccination mandate in the city of San Francisco, would not be able to play in 41 home games for the Golden State Warriors. What do you need him for, what good is he to you?”
There are still a few weeks left for Wiggins to be convinced to received one of the vaccines. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the team has made a serious effort.
The Warriors recently connected Wiggins with an Oakland doctor who understands issues surrounding vaccine hesitancy, sources said. The doctor explained the suffering and deaths she has witnessed in patients who contracted the coronavirus, sources said, but Wiggins remains unmoved in his decision against vaccination.
NBA training camps are set to begin next week, with preseason games rolling around in early October. The Golden State Warriors open the regular season on the road at the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 19. Their home opener comes against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 21.
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