As the centerpiece of the Miami Heat’s polarizing trade deadline deal, they received former 2022 All-Star and NBA champion Andrew Wiggins. The talented two-way wing was the headliner in the team’s return after trading Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. But it didn’t pan out as hoped.
Wiggins struggled to remain healthy in his first stint with Miami, appearing in just 17 out of the possible 31 regular season games.
He was dealt with nagging injuries that had him in and out of the lineup while his team battled to sneak into the playoff picture. Despite his few offensive explosions— including an impressive 42-point outing and a few 25+ point games— the Heat did not receive that version of Wiggins come postseason.
Wiggins averaged only 11.5 points on 37% shooting, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while committing 2.8 turnovers in four playoff games.
The Heat had to deal with his availability issues during the team’s closing stretch of the season, when they needed cohesion in the lineup the most, only to be a complete nonfactor in the playoffs.
Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo desperately needed help if the team wanted a chance at even securing one win in their first round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wiggins was the only other option capable of providing an All-Star caliber scoring boost.
Instead, he looked lost on the court when his new team needed him most.
Andrew Wiggins is at risk of being traded to his third team in a matter of months this summer.
Wiggins struggled to shoot efficiently and have control with the ball in his hands, as the 30-year-old forward piled up turnovers in the series. Worst of all, he was a negative on defense.
For a player that built a reputation of being a strong individual defender on the perimeter, it was rough to see him unable to hold his own versus Cleveland. Donovan Mitchell had a field day against Wiggins as his primary defender, averaging nearly 24 points on 48% shooting and 46% from 3-point range in the series overall.
Wiggins has all the tools to be a highly productive two-way talent. Unfortunately, he never looked like he bought into the Heat’s system upon his arrival.
He was one of three Heat players that declined their end of season exit interviews, along with Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson.
There were certainly flashes of the potential, most notably that season-high 42 points eruption a few months ago. His sample size with the Heat this season also posted respectable averages of 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and one block per game on 46% shooting.
But Miami is in no position to have any more doubts about expensive players. They already have that problem with Rozier.
Luckily, Wiggins should still have trade value for teams in need of an impactful two-way veteran wing player. And he could be an attractive headliner of a strong trade package on the table to pursue the franchise’s next star— if the Heat opt to shop his services this summer.
