Lakers Need Andrew Wiggins Trade to Fuel LeBron, Luka Title Push amid NBA Rumors
The Los Angeles Lakers always pop up in NBA title talks, due in no small part to their rich history and the presence of megastars LeBron James and Luka Dončić.
They certainly aren't leading those conversations ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, though. Despite the front office delivering a productive, opportunistic offseason, realistic Lakers fans would probably admit this isn't a top-tier contender in the Western Conference.
It is close enough, however, that one final move might earn it that distinction. And the Lakers seemingly have something in mind.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Lakers "would have interest" if the Miami Heat made two-way swingman Andrew Wiggins available. The Athletic's Dan Woike, who previously downplayed links between the Lakers and Wiggins, wrote that Wiggins "is now a more desirable player" since they're more willing to take on long-term contracts now that they know Dončić will be around for the long haul.
Woike also added that L.A.'s interest would hinge on Wiggins being obtainable for the "right" price.
That part of the pursuit could get complicated.
While the Heat can't reasonably ask for a ton in return for Wiggins, they also have no obvious incentive to give him away. And Stein's initial report suggested that was kind of what L.A. hoped would happen, noting the Lakers would be interested if the Heat "decide to prioritize financial flexibility and look to reduce payroll."
Wiggins is probably a touch overpaid, and his $30.2 million player option for next season could limit what the Heat could get done in 2026 free agency. That said, Miami's once grandiose visions for next offseason had already largely crumbled due to so many stars signing early extensions, like Luka Dončić, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams and De'Aaron Fox.
In other words, the Heat's options would be limited even without Wiggins. So, rather than waiting around and hoping to sign an imperfect star (Kevin Durant, who turns 37 later this month, now seemingly tops the wish list), Miami might prefer to hold onto Wiggins and see what kind of noise it can make in the wide-open Eastern Conference.
So, if L.A. wants Wiggins, it needs to incentivize Miami to give him up. B/R's Eric Pincus recently put together a hypothetical three-team deal to bring Wiggins to Hollywood, and in that exchange, L.A. would be out Rui Hachimura, Dalton Knecht, Maxi Klebert and $2 million.
That's not at all an insignificant price to pay, and it's also not necessarily enough for Miami to bite.
And yet, a legitimate Wiggins pursuit still makes sense for the Lakers, so long as they see him as the missing piece of their championship picture. As they should.
So long as they kept Austin Reaves out of the exchange—that'd be too heavy a price to pay—Wiggins wouldn't have to be more than the fourth option on offense (or even fifth when Deandre Ayton had it rolling). That would allow Wiggins to focus his efforts on being a lockdown point-of-attack defender (arguably the biggest need on this roster) and an efficient play-finisher on the other end.
Since offensive inconsistency is often cited as one of Wiggins' biggest weaknesses, it's like L.A. could sidestep around his shortcomings and only reap the rewards of what he does best. In a lot of ways, he'd fill the same, invaluable role he did with the championship banner-raising 2021-22 Golden State Warriors.
Getting that kind of two-way impact would be worth a substantial investment. The Lakers shouldn't empty their asset collection, obviously, but a package built around Hachimura, Knecht and some level of draft considerations should work for both sides.
Because if the Lakers get a player like Wiggins, they'll deserve a lot more than courtesy mentions in title talks. They'd be a full-fledged contender capable of hanging with the very best the West has to offer.
