Andrew Wiggins Reportedly Unlikely to Be Traded If Signed to New Contract

Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer reported Thursday that the Minnesota Timberwolves are unlikely to trade forward Andrew Wiggins if they sign him to a long-term contract.

Pluto added that Wiggins is the Cleveland Cavaliers' likeliest target in a potential trade that would send disgruntled guard Kyrie Irving to the T-Wolves.

Pluto noted that a sign-and-trade is possible but probably won't happen unless Wiggins wants to be traded back to the team that originally drafted him No. 1 overall.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor said recently the organization was working toward a five-year, max extension with Wiggins, per Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune:

"We are talking to [Wiggins'] agent right now about extending him out another five years, so we can do that. Karl [Anthony Towns], we won't do that until next year. Wiggins, we want to sign him to a long-term contract, we want to keep him here, and we're negotiating with his agent. But we just started that negotiation, and we have quite some time to get that done."

This season has been a busy one for Minnesota, as it acquired swingman Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Chicago Bulls, signed point guard Jeff Teague and traded point guard Ricky Rubio to the Utah Jazz.

Minnesota is a hot pick to reach the playoffs in the Western Conference during the 2017-18 season, and Wiggins' continued progression is a big part of that.

Last season, the 22-year-old averaged a career-high 23.6 points and 2.3 assists per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds. He also shot 45.2 percent from the field and a personal-best 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.