The Heat player most likely to be traded

A solid season may make a forward attractive to suitors

Jan 1, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Marcus Sasser (25) passes the ball from the floor after getting to a loose ball ahead of Miami Heat forwards Andrew Wiggins (22) and Nikola Jovic (5) in the fourth quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The NBA trade deadline is just 2 weeks away and many fans are hoping their team makes a splash to bolster their chances in the playoffs. Miami Heat fans are no different and per usual are constantly discussing what trades Pat Riley and the front office should be looking into.

The Heat have long had the philosophy to go star hunting and have often held off on making smaller trades in hopes they can land a big name or a “whale”. This has come with mixed results overall but has not fared well in recent years. This season will probably be no different, but the Heat do have one player that they should be exploring all options to trade.

The player that is most likely to be trade on the Miami Heat is forward Andrew Wiggins. This is for several reasons, and some are out of Wiggins control. He has improved his play from last season and has been a consistent defensive playmaker for Miami, which only increases his value. On offense he has also been solid for the Heat providing consistent secondary scoring playing off the team’s offensive engines like Norman Powell, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.

Explore all Wiggins possibilities

Wiggins is the most likely player to be traded because his salary is a nice easy number for facilitating trades, and any contender would improve by adding him. The Heat can not afford to keep everyone on their current roster, they do not have enough space. Shedding Wiggins salary would open up a lot of room for Miami to figure out their cap problem.

Wiggins would also fetch a decent return and would realistically get a first round pick in return. Like I mentioned previously, the Heat love star hunting and two things are needed to land stars in the modern NBA. That is tradeable contracts and draft picks. Wiggins would help check both of those boxes.

Possible destinations

Two teams have been consistently rumored and/or have had reported interest in acquiring Wiggins from the Heat. First, the Los Angelos Lakers have been mentioned since this offseason. Wiggins would fit perfectly on the Lakers to play alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.  He would not be relied on to be a ball handler and would be a catch and shoot player.

The second team mentioned often is his former squad, the Golden State Warriors. Now I have not heard as much about this possibility since the Jimmy Butler injury, but I could still see them being interested in a reunion. No team has been able to maximize Wiggins like the Warriors have. He played excellently playing off Steph curry. This would improve the Warriors but would not bring them into contention, so they might not be as willing.