For virtually every player in attendance at the NBA’s annual rookie photo shoot Sunday in Westchester, it was a carefree day spent shuttling from one station to another doing a series of poses for the cameras.
But Andrew Wiggins isn’t your typical rookie. Instead of being able to relax and prepare for his first pro season, the No. 1 overall pick by the Cavaliers in June’s NBA draft instead has spent the last several weeks with his name smack in the middle of trade rumors. Cleveland has surged to the front of the never-ending trade talks surrounding Timberwolves All-Star power forward Kevin Love after LeBron James agreed to return to Ohio.
“It hasn’t been too tough,” Wiggins said Sunday of dealing with all of the uncertainty. “You have to prepare yourself for it, and then it isn’t too tough.
“You just have to get used to everything.”
But Wiggins, through no fault of his own, has found himself thrust into an awkward position, as the public face of trade talks that, after he signed his rookie deal on July 23, can’t be consummated until 30 days later.
That, combined with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor telling the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Love would likely be traded by Aug. 23 or 24 — just after Wiggins is eligible to be moved — has left the 19-year-old having to answer questions about his future that are completely outside of his control.
“I just want to play for a team that wants me,” Wiggins said Sunday on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” “So, whichever team wants me, I’ll play for.”
And for those who want to try to develop any conspiracy theories about whether Wiggins is likely to remain in Cleveland, he said he still hasn’t spoken to James — who also didn’t mention Wiggins in his letter in Sports Illustrated announcing his return to the Cavaliers.
“No. I’m sure he’s busy,” Wiggins said. “I feel like I’m busy, so I am sure he’s busy.”
Wiggins wasn’t the only player at Sunday’s photo shoot who could be impacted by a potential Love trade. Wiggins could soon be teammates with Timberwolves rookie Zach LaVine, another incredibly athletic 19-year-old who could give Minnesota an exciting pair of wing players to play alongside point guard Ricky Rubio.
“Yeah, I was telling him, ‘We might be teammates!’ ” LaVine said Sunday with a smile. “We worked out at the same spot in Santa Barbara [during the draft process], so I got cool with him. He’s a great player, and it would be very exciting.
“I just try to stay within myself. [Love is] one of the best players in our league right now, and he’s going to make the best decision for himself and his career, but I’m just gonna keep focusing on me and just trying to get my body ready and help this team win games.”
Then there’s Joe Harris, the second-round pick for the Cavaliers who has become friends with Wiggins over the past few weeks since they both were drafted at Barclays Center, but could soon see him changing addresses.
“It’s crazy how it works and almost is like an introduction to the NBA and how it works on the business side of things,” Harris said. “But it would really be unfortunate if Andrew had to leave.
“We came in together, and I didn’t really know him at all until after the draft and we’ve been spending quite a bit of time together. … You build bonds with these guys, and it would be unfortunate if after that they had to pack up and leave, for sure.”
Wiggins might not be long for Cleveland, but he said he’s excited to get his career started wherever it may be, and that it was a dream come true for him to officially sign his name to his contract as the top pick in the draft.
“It felt amazing,” he said. “It felt good. After you sign that contract, you know that you’re there, and looking forward to everything to come.”
In a few weeks, he’ll find out if the next thing to come is a change of address.