Lakers Should Avoid Andrew Wiggins Trade Due to Heat's Asking Price amid NBA Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to look for ways to improve their roster this offseason following the addition of DeAndre Ayton at center, and their next target appears to be Andrew Wiggins of the Miami Heat.

A recent report from NBA insider Joban Buha suggests the asking price is astronomical.

Buha reported on his Buha's Block podcast that the Heat wanted a first-round pick, Dalton Knecht, and Rui Hachimura in exchange for Wiggins (h/t dru_star).

The Lakers would love to have a two-way player of Wiggins' skill set on their team and, at least on paper, he would fit what the team likes to do. Pairing him with LeBron James and Luka Dončić would create a dynamic trio with the potential to be a force in the Western Conference.

The issue is the enormous price tag for a player who, despite being as good now as he ever has, still has only averaged 18.5 points per game and would not be the facilitator of the offense. Wiggings would be at least the third most important player on the team behind James and Dončić and that does not take into consideration Austin Reaves.

Wiggins is a solid defender and the team needs that, especially given Reaves and Dončić's shortcomings in that area of their game, but is it worth giving up the king's ransom that the Lakers would have to in order to bring Wiggins on board?

No.

He is a good player who never quite developed into the game-changer he was projected to be when Cleveland drafted him with the No. 1 pick. He is a solid piece of the puzzle with the potential to pop out and show off, as he did when he helped Golden State to their NBA title in 2022.

He is not that dynamic game-changer that teams mortgage draft picks and an unknown asset like Knecht for.

If the Heat bring down their asking price, the potential for a Lakers trade would be more realistic and understandable. As it is, though, the team is already light on quality depth and trading away players who can help with that and a first round pick at a time when the organization is looking to the future would be a silly, nonsensical decision that would do more long-term harm than good.

Even if the team and its star, James, are looking to win now.