Aaron Wiggins and Warriors Need More Mid-Prime Help

Anthony Slater says aaron wiggins is exactly the kind of player Golden State misses now. He said the Warriors probably need a couple more mid-prime players this summer, after losing a late-20s piece from a roster that leaned too young and too old.

Slater's roster warning

Slater made the point on 95.7 The Game's Willard and Dibs, saying, "You probably want a couple more mid-prime. That's been I think the problem over the last few years. Like even remember you trade Andrew Wiggins. It's like man you traded one of the guys that was like late 20's, mid to late 20s," He also said, "You don't want to be loaded with 19-year-olds and 37-year-olds."

That framing goes straight at Golden State's roster build. The Warriors had only five players this season between 26 and 30, and none of those five was a bonafide starter when the team was healthy. Slater's point is not about adding bodies; it is about changing the age band around the core.

Andrew Wiggins' role

Andrew Wiggins had been a proven championship piece for Golden State in 2022. The piece says he brought consistency and reliability that Jonathan Kuminga never sustained before Kuminga was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in February.

That leaves the Warriors without the kind of mid-prime wing presence they once had. Wiggins fit the exact zone Slater pointed to: old enough to handle responsibility, young enough to stay in the middle of the roster curve, and established enough to start when healthy. Losing that type of player makes the imbalance easier to see.

Warriors' offseason fix

The roster issue is not isolated to one trade. The Warriors have also lost Butler and Moses Moody to long-term knee injuries that will bleed into next season, which thins the middle even more.

For Golden State, the offseason need is clear from Slater's comments: add more players in that mid-prime window and stop relying so heavily on the extremes of the roster age chart. If the team wants a cleaner mix next season, that is the part that has to change.