Andrew Wiggins is set to be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the end of August, and the 2014 first overall pick is already looking forward to starting his NBA career in Minneapolis.
Kansas coach Bill Self revealed that Wiggins is already aware that he would be traded to the Timberwolves in a traded that would send Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also set to lose Anthony Bennett and a 2014 first-round pick.
Self, who coached Wiggins during his lone season in Kansas, had nothing but praises for his former star for the way he handled his situation over the past several weeks.
"I think he's handled everything great. He's excited," Self said Wiggins via ESPN. "I think the whole thing that's been blown out of proportion a bit is that he's been in limbo. He's known since the summer that he'd be traded. It's OK. In some ways he's looking forward to going to Minnesota."
The 51-year-old coach added that Wiggins told him that he wants to be traded to the Timberwolves, knowing that he will have a lot of opportunity to shine in Minnesota as oppose to starting his career in Cleveland.
"When all this trade stuff started, I talked to Andrew and Andrew told me, 'I hope I get traded.' And I'm like, 'No you don't.' And he said, 'Coach, I do. It's better for me, knowing my personality and what I need to do, to go somewhere where I'm forced to be something as opposed to going in there where they're going to be patient with me and I'm going to be a piece," Self said.
Self admitted that he was thrilled when he learned that Wiggins will be playing alongside James, but he recently realized that the 19-year-old Canadian will be in a better situation in Minnesota where he can be one of the main men alongside emerging point guard Ricky Rubio.
