"You hear the rumors" - Andrew Wiggins opens up about the harsh realities of being traded by Warriors 

Andrew Wiggins joined the Warriors when the Minnesota Timberwolves had lost hope on the once-proud #1 overall draft pick. The 6-7 forward underperformed alongside Karl-Anthony Towns on a franchise that never fully fulfilled its promise.

Wiggins managed to recoup his value, contributing mightily to the Warriors' championship campaign in 2022, which made their eventual trade of him to the Miami Heat that much more disappointing.

Andrew Wiggins was one of the best players that the Golden State Warriors lost in making the trade for Jimmy Butler at the deadline, ending his time in the Bay Area.

He now has a new challenge with his new franchise as he adjusts to life with the Miami Heat. Now that he has faced his former team for the first time, Wiggins pulled back the curtain on how he was impacted.

In an interview with James Jackson of The Athletic on Wednesday, Wiggins spoke about how he navigated through the drama that saw him get traded for one of the NBA's more controversial stars.

As the trade deadline drew closer, rumors got louder and louder that the Warriors would be pursuing Jimmy Butler to push their chips to the middle of the table one more time.

When he heard that he was part of the trade, Andrew Wiggins approached the situation as a professional. In an era of player empowerment, the reality of the NBA remains the same. At the end of the day, the league is a business, no matter how beloved players are by an organization or fans.

Wiggins decided he is going to make the most of this change instead of dwelling on the negatives.

"You hear the whispers, you hear the rumors. Where there's smoke, there's fire. I knew it was a possibility," said Wiggins. "So when it happened, it was a new chapter in life. You just gotta go ahead, get situated and make that your home."

Wiggins was traded before, from Minnesota to Golden State, so this is not his first trip around the trade block. But he is in a considerably different position today, being asked to be a veteran presence on the Miami Heat instead of a scoring star. His adjustment might be what enables the Heat to transition into their post-Jimmy Butler age.

What does Andrew Wiggins bring to the Miami Heat?

Andrew Wiggins at his finest is potentially the best two-way player in the entire league. During their 2022 championship run, many argued Wiggins was the second-best guy on Golden State, behind Steph Curry, and provided elite-level point-of-attack defense to the perimeter players the Warriors faced.

Wiggins has played well in his first 14 games with the Miami Heat, averaging 20.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

He has formed a "Big Three" with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo and has helped the Miami Heat put some distance between themselves and the Toronto Raptors for the final Eastern Conference play-in spot.

Since the play-in tournament has been around, Miami has often been a part of it, including the 2023 stint where the Heat took the eighth seed and advanced all the way to the Finals. If Andrew Wiggins can get back to his 2022 self, he might lead the Miami Heat on another deep playoff run out of the play-in tournament.