Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins won’t play for Canada in Olympics due to medical reasons: sources

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was not in Toronto for the start of the Canadian men’s basketball team’s training camp on Friday that will help determine the country’s Olympic squad for this summer’s tournament. Wiggins was named to the 20-man training camp roster earlier in the month but will now not participate in camp or be eligible to join the team.

On Friday night, during the team’s first press conference of training camp, Canadian general manager Rowan Barrett said he received a call from the Warriors a few days before camp began that Wiggins would not be available to play. Asked if Golden State gave him a reason, Barrett said, “That’s something you’ll have to talk to them about.”

A Warriors spokesperson responded to a request for comment from The athlete Wiggins said that the decision was made by agreement between him and the team, and Golden State was unable to prevent him from playing with Canada. A team source said the decision was medical.

““Well, for us, Andrew was fine,” Barrett said. “We’ve been talking to him constantly. He’s been training for weeks and weeks preparing for this. And then I got a call from Golden State a day or two before camp saying they were going to hold him back. So, from what I see, this is not Andrew’s decision. This is a team decision.”

Wiggins played in 71 games for the Warriors in the 2023-24 season, but suffered a late-season ankle injury that persisted into the offseason, a potential medical issue that the team could have raised. He had a rough start to the year, and finished the season stronger, eventually averaging 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

However, he performed well in the 2021-22 championship season.

Golden State has been active in the trade market in the lead-up to free agency. Wiggins is scheduled to make $26.3 million next season, and will make $84.65 million over the next three seasons. His contract may be necessary to complete the trade to make a turnaround, but this Olympic decision is separate from any trade talks, according to sources.

The sources said that this decision is purely medical, and was taken by mutual agreement, to ensure Wiggins’ health before entering the next season.

Wiggins’ inclusion in Canada’s training camp roster was somewhat controversial. In the summer of 2022, Canada required players to commit to three years of summer camp in order to be eligible to play in the Olympics, should Canada qualify. Basketball Canada eased that stance over time, but Wiggins was unable to commit at the time because the Warriors were in the middle of their tournament run and were a year away from unrestricted free agency.

He eventually signed a four-year contract extension with Golden State in October 2022.

Wiggins last played for Canada in 2021, when they lost in the semifinals of the last qualifying tournament in Victoria, British Columbia, for the Tokyo Olympics. He also played for the men’s team at the 2015 USA Basketball World Cup in Mexico City, where Canada lost to Venezuela in the semifinals.

A win in that game would have sent the team to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Wiggins could have had an inside track at a roster spot had he been in training camp, as Canada needs some bigger wings, largely on defense. This will be the first time Canada has participated in the men’s basketball tournament at the Olympics since 2000.

Wiggins’ mother, Marita Payne Wiggins, won silver medals for Canada in the 4×100-meter relay and the 4×400-meter relay at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

“I’m sad for him, I had a good conversation with him, and he’s definitely trying to push the players forward, hoping for the best for them,” Barrett said.

Canada won the bronze medal at the FIBA ​​World Cup last summer. The team is expected to be led by Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray, with veterans of the program such as Toronto Raptors teammates Kelly Olynyk and RJ Barrett also likely to head to France.

Required reading

(Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)