Joe Lacob refers to Andrew Wiggins as part of Warriors’ ‘core four’

Ever since the Warriors acquired Andrew Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves, two things have followed: Those around the league have assumed he will be traded again, and Golden State has praised Wiggins every step of the way.

Warriors owner Joe Lacob shed more positive light on Wiggins during an interview on ESPN's "First Take" on Wednesday morning, making it sound like he very much expects the 2013 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick to stay in the Bay Area.

"Well, I think you probably would conclude that we have Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson], Draymond [Green], Andrew Wiggins -- who we're very, very high on -- we think we have a really good core four here," Lacob said.

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While Wiggins only played 12 games with the Warriors due to the shortened season, he had a strong showing for Golden State. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He also shot 45.7 percent from the field and his 51.1 effective field goal percentage was the best of his six-year career.

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The Warriors aren't expecting Wiggins to carry the load like he has was asked to in Minnesota. They want him to be a strong defensive presence, active off the ball and be a reliable third scoring option. Despite the small sample size, his advanced defensive stats improved, and he averaged 1.3 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Both career highs.

As everyone fires up the trade machine with Wiggins' name involved, the Warriors themselves have continued to express why they believe the 25-year-old is such a great fit for them. There of course is the chance this is all a smokescreen and the Warriors do dangle Wiggins to another team, but it sure feels like he'll suit up for Golden State when the season begins next month.