Bill Self: Wiggins Looking Forward to Minnesota

Christian Petersen/Getty Images(OVERLAND PARK, Kan.) — Cleveland Cavaliers No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins doesn’t mind that he’s being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wiggins joined his former Kansas head coach Bill Self this weekend at a basketball camp in Kansas City and did not speak with reporters about the pending trade that would send him to Minnesota.

Self spoke to reporters about what was said between Wiggins and himself.

“When all this trade stuff started, I talked to Andrew and Andrew told me, ‘I hope I get traded,'” Self said. “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 that playing with an All-Star like LeBron James could only help Wiggins’ career, but longterm, Wiggins is best suited to be in Minnesota.

“Even though in a weird way everybody would love the opportunity to play with LeBron because you’re guaranteed winning,” Self said, “for the longevity of his career, he needs to develop that mindset to be the guy, for him to be great, and I think being Minnesota will help him do that.”

The trade between the Cavaliers and Timberwolves that will also send former No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett and a future 2015 first-round draft pick for Love cannot be completed until Aug. 23.

“I think he’s handled everything great. He’s excited,” Self said. “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.”

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