Hoop Dreams: Yahoo Sports

Hield's preference for being traded by the Warriors instead of Wiggins for Butler was recently revealed on NBC Sports Bay Area.

The Warriors’ blockbuster trade to acquire Jimmy Butler at this year’s deadline struck players emotionally after realizing what they had to give up for the six-time NBA All-Star.

The move included parting ways with fan and team favorite Andrew Wiggins, in addition to shipping Kyle Anderson, Dennis Schröder and Lindy Waters III away in the deal. A little more than one month later, Warriors guard Buddy Hield confessed he wished he was among those players if it meant the Warriors got to keep Wiggins.

“When guys were traded, it was a rough day for [Warriors coach Steve Kerr],” Hield said Wednesday on 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru.” “Especially with Wiggs, it was emotional in that locker room. I was even more emotional because I wish it was me that got traded because Wiggs did so much for this franchise. For a guy like that, I hated to see him go like that because he’s done so much for this franchise.

“And I said, ‘Man, I wish that was me,’ because he’s put his mark on this franchise, and I know how much he meant to this franchise and the city of San Fran.”

A very selfless outlook from Hield on an emotional trade.

Wiggins spent five-plus seasons with the Warriors and undeniably helped them win their fourth title during his impressive 2021-22 NBA season and playoff performance. But after the Warriors’ 2024-25 campaign quickly was headed downhill, they had to make a dramatic move to see a dramatic change.

Brandin Podziemski revealed that emotions were high when the team learned of the trade on Feb. 5, admitting tears were shed when they had to say their goodbyes.

Steph Curry also joined “Steiny & Guru” to detail the emotional rollercoaster he and his teammates endured in the aftermath of the trade.

“That was a whirlwind of a day,” Curry recalled. “We were about to play Utah, and [there were] rumors, talks, conversations, what-ifs — and then it happened. So first, you’re upset because you’re losing guys that you went to war with, Wiggs especially. He helped us win a championship and we saw him flourish for the five years he was here. Dennis, Kyle, Lindy, seeing those guys go who were a big part of [us] earlier in the year.

“And then you think about the future. We were excited that Jimmy was here. We were understanding of who he was as a superstar, and the idea that he plays basketball a very similar way, trying to, as he would say, make the right play. But he demands a presence, and it’s a guy you have to worry about on the floor. You can see it’s helped me and Draymond, but I think overall it’s helped everybody else more because he makes guys around him better. And he does it really naturally.”

It’s safe to say Golden State shipping Wiggins to South Beach struck a chord for the Warriors, but Hield, too, is an important part of this team as his high energy and good vibes are respected around the locker room.

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