{"id":158307,"date":"2025-09-08T16:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T20:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=158307"},"modified":"2025-09-08T16:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T20:06:21","slug":"report-lakers-wing-search-andrew-wiggins-trade-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/08\/report-lakers-wing-search-andrew-wiggins-trade-rumors\/","title":{"rendered":"Report: Lakers Wing Search Could Lead Them Back to Familiar Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

With <\/span>Luka Doncic<\/span><\/a>\u2019s future with the Lakers now secured, the focus now shifts to surrounding him and <\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a> with the best possible fits. One insider says a previous target could be one of those options.<\/span><\/p>\n

Report: Lakers Wing Search Could Lead Them Back to Familiar Name<\/b><\/h2>\n

Marc Stein: Andrew Wiggins May Be on Lakers\u2019 Radar<\/b><\/h3>\n

In a Monday newsletter posted to <\/span>Substack<\/span><\/a>, NBA insider Marc Stein said the <\/span>Lakers<\/span><\/a> are looking for a \u201ctwo-way swingman who can raise their ceiling\u201d and could be interested in <\/span>Andrew Wiggins<\/span><\/a> should the Miami Heat make him available.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWiggins, 30, will earn $28.2 million this season and holds a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. I wouldn\u2019t have classified him as a potential purple-and-gold target before Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s long-term future was secured, but things are different now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo my sense is that the Lakers would have interest if the Heat, in coming weeks or months, decide to prioritize financial flexibility and look to reduce payroll.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Heat forward averaged 18 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals this season following his move from the Warriors. He also shot 44.8% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.3% from the free-throw line. Though praised as a 3-and-D threat, Wiggins\u2019 scoring and efficiency dipped in this year\u2019s postseason. In Miami\u2019s first-round loss to the Cavs, he put up 11.5 points on .372\/.350\/.700 splits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Miami
Mar 8, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) looks on against the Chicago Bulls during the third quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lakers, Heat Previously Discussed Wiggins Trade<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Wiggins-to-Lakers rumors should come as no surprise, given LA\u2019s past interest in the former No. 1 overall pick. LA and Miami engaged in trade talks over the summer. However, a <\/span>steep asking price<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Dalton Knecht<\/span><\/a> and a first-round pick slammed the brakes on a potential deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recent reports say the <\/span>Lakers<\/span><\/a> will remain aggressive at this year\u2019s trade deadline, a notable stance considering their current restrictions under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. With the team barely under the first apron hard cap, they are <\/span>unable to sign another free agent<\/span><\/a> before Jan. 18 unless they shed salary in a trade.<\/span><\/p>\n

An athletic two-way wing who frequently challenges opposing stars, Wiggins would be a <\/span>natural fit<\/span><\/a> for the Lakers and their starting lineup. As far as realistic targets go, he is among the team\u2019s best bets and would be a significant addition for their future with Doncic, even in the short term.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lakers Trade Assets<\/b><\/h3>\n

Contrary to popular belief, the Lakers have several assets they could use in a trade. Chief among them are the three expiring contracts in Hachimura ($18.2 million), <\/span>Gabe Vincent<\/span><\/a> ($11.5 million) and <\/span>Maxi Kleber<\/span><\/a> ($11 million). Hachimura is still held in high regard within the organization, and the <\/span>Lakers<\/span><\/a> seem willing to evaluate Vincent and Kleber before throwing them onto the trade block. <\/span>Knecht<\/span><\/a>, despite his struggles, is still a 24-year-old sharpshooter with potential, and he has a two-year team option in 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to Lakers Nation\u2019s Trevor Lane, LA owns their future firsts in 2026, 2028, 2030 and 2031 but must abide by the <\/span>Stepien Rule<\/span><\/a> when deciding to move them. That means that, as of now, they can only attach the 2031 first in any future trade. The previous offer of Hachimura, Knecht and a first may still be too much for a veteran wing making nearly $30 million. But if the Heat become open to moving Wiggins, perhaps Rob Pelinka could lower the bar and acquire him for a steal of a deal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Luka Doncic\u2019s future with the Lakers now secured, the focus now shifts to surrounding him and LeBron James with the best possible fits. One insider says a previous target could be one of those options. Report: Lakers Wing Search Could Lead Them Back to Familiar Name Marc Stein: Andrew Wiggins May Be on Lakers\u2019 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":158311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,26,16,62,3],"tags":[212,49212,4921,38,1133,2057,1749],"class_list":["post-158307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-lakers","category-heat","category-nba","category-news","tag-andrew-wiggins","tag-dalton-knecht","tag-gabe-vincent","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-maxi-kleber","tag-rui-hachimura"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158307"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":158318,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158307\/revisions\/158318"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}