NBA Mock Trade: Heat Deal Andrew Wiggins to Lakers; Receive Former Player In Return
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The cycle of the Miami Heat being connected to stars at the deadline continues in the 2025-20206 this season, and the cycle of it not working out for them rolls on. Once seen as an extremely real possibility of Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant landing with the Heat, that discussion is now seemingly all off the table. NBA insider Tim Bontemps, in recent days, mentioned he did not believe Morant would get dealt to either the Heat or the Milwaukee Bucks. And from a report on Jan. 20, he may not end up going anywhere. Morant recently stated he does not want to get traded.
With this dip in excitement for Heat fans regarding the trade market, they could still be active. One of their players who has been mentioned in trade conversations is veteran wing Andrew Wiggins. This season, when Wiggins has been available for Miami, he has been solid. He is averaging 15.8 PPG on efficient shooting splits, shooting 46.5% overall from the field and 39.8% from three. Wiggins' ability to fit a role and play above it when needed makes him a perfect fit for one of the teams he has been connected to, the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA insider Marc Stein has reported that the Lakers have shown interest in Wiggins leading up to the deadline.
Outside of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves when he returns from injury, the Lakers' roster is a land of misfit players. Several players who come off the bench and play meaningful minutes are not consistent and struggle to contribute to winning basketball. Wiggins would be a piece that positively impacts the game every night for the Lakers, and again plays within himself. He showed he was capable of doing this in his years playing with the Golden State Warriors alongside Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, and Klay Thompson. In one of these runs with this group as the third-fourth option, he won a championship. Here is a look at a mock deal between both teams, involving Wiggins.
Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers NBA Mock Trade
Lakers Receive:
SF- Andrew Wiggins
Heat Receive:
PG- Gabe Vincent
SF-Rui Hachimura
2030 First round pick (via Lakers)
Why This trade Makes Sense For The Heat
The Heat have been mentioned as a team wanting to be in the potential Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes come the offseason prior to the start of the 2027-2028 season. The Bucks star has a player option then, and with the constant rumblings of the relationship between him and the Milwaukee association being questioned throughout the past few seasons, there seems to be a real possibility he could decline it.
This first-round pick helps them in gaining some ammunition for the Bucks' star while also getting two expiring contracts that will also open up space for Antetokounmpo. While in the short term, looking at the players they landed in this mock deal, Rui Hachimura has been solid this season, and a change of scenery for Gabe Vincent, coming back to his former team in the Heat, could reignite him into becoming a good NBA player once again.
Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Lakers
The Lakers' time to win a title with James is short, and this mock trade helps them further attack the crack of the door that is still open on their championship window. The fit of Wiggins next to this tandem of three-star level players with Ayton is great. He has shown the ability to be a plus defender in his career. Pairing that with his efficient offense, along with his ability to play a role as mentioned earlier, makes this an ideal pairing with the Lakers' four starters and makes this a great mock trade for the Lakers.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops