Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins has seen his name floating around in recent trade rumors. In the month of July, the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers have been linked as potential suitors for Wiggins.
Not only that, but according to a report from Five Reasons Sports’ Ethan J. Skolnick, the Heat and Bucks engaged in trade talks that “came close to something” before the 2025 NBA Draft, and based on the context he gave, it seemed as if Wiggins was part of those talks.
However, a recent report indicates that there now seems to be a real possibility that Wiggins will still be a member of the Heat by the time the coming 2025-26 campaign starts. Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald indicated in an article that a league source told him Miami intends to keep Wiggins in the fold.
“But there’s now some clarity on this situation, as a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald that the Heat’s plan is to keep Wiggins on its roster for the start of next season, barring something unforeseen,” Chiang wrote. “The Heat is intrigued to see what this mix of players can accomplish after the recent addition of veteran guard Norman Powell.”
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra also made some comments that make it seem like Wiggins will be on the roster in the 2025-26 season.
“Wiggs had some really good moments with us,” Spoelstra said. “Before he got hurt, he was exactly what we needed and wanted out of that position. I think there’s still real opportunity for growth with him as he gets comfortable with us. He’s already down in Miami right now and will be bringing his family in. He’s going to be here most of August and September, I think just to get more acclimated. And I think that’s really important for him.”
In light of Spoelstra’s comments and Chiang’s report, let’s break down some reasons why it would be in the best interest of the Heat to keep Wiggins beyond this offseason.
1. Better scoring option than Miami’s other options at the wing
Wiggins played just 17 games with the Heat last season after he was traded over from the Golden State Warriors in the Jimmy Butler trade, but he scored the ball at a high level in his small sample size in a Heat uniform.
In fact, he averaged the second-most points of anyone to play for the Heat behind only guard Tyler Herro, who was the team’s top scoring option for much of the campaign. Wiggins averaged 19.0 points per contest on respectable efficiency, as he shot 45.8 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range.
The Heat have added a much-needed scoring punch to their roster by trading for Powell, but he’s a guard like Herro, and Wiggins stands out as clearly Miami’s top scorer at the wing spot.
2. He’s been a key part of a championship team at the highest level
Winning is always at the top of the agenda in the Heat organization, and Wiggins is an NBA champion and was one of the top players on a title team earlier in his pro career.
He won a championship with the Warriors back in 2022, and it’s hard to believe Golden State would have won it all that year sans his two-way impact in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Wiggins averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game across 22 contests (all starts), and his defensive impact while guarding Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum in the NBA Finals was evident.
Wiggins held Tatum — one of the engines of Boston’s offense — to just 21.5 points per game on 36.7 percent shooting from the field in that championship series.
His experience playing impactful basketball on a title team could come in handy if the Heat are contending for a championship at some point down the line.
3. Contract could be used to help Heat ahead of trade deadline
The framework of Wiggins’ current contract could make him an attractive trade target for teams ahead of next year’s trade deadline. Wiggins will get paid around $28.2 million in the 2025-26 campaign, but he has a player option for the 2026-27 season and could hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026.
Depending on Miami’s season outlook around the trade deadline and where the team is in the standings, the Heat could use Wiggins either to upgrade the roster at an area of need or trade him for draft capital and/or young prospects and continue to position themselves for the future.
It’s hard to gauge exactly how good Miami will be next season at this juncture, but an improvement compared to last season seems to be feasible now that there’s no longer the Butler drama permeating around the team.
All in all, keeping Wiggins as a stopgap option in the here and now before moving him midway through the season is a sensible avenue for Miami.
4. Provides Heat depth on the wing to bring Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic along gradually
Young forwards Jaquez and Jovic were selected by the Heat in the first round of recent drafts. Jovic was selected with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, while Jaquez was drafted with the No. 18 selection in the 2023 NBA Draft.
They’re both really talented players who could become important pieces for Miami in the future, but they also both have their flaws. Keeping Wiggins on the roster allows the Heat to bring Jaquez and Jovic along slower and not have to throw them in the fire.
His veteran presence will only help Jaquez and Jovic in their development as well, as he knows as well as anybody what it takes to be an effective forward at the NBA level.
If the Heat want to make sure that not too much is asked out of Jovic and Jaquez next season, maybe the best way to ensure that would be to hold onto Wiggins.
In conclusion, there are plenty of valid reasons not to move Wiggins this summer and have him on the team by the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign. Here’s hoping that Wiggins will stick around with the Heat for at least several months longer.
