The Los Angeles Lakers are bound to be linked to many available players this offseason, but one name that’s been talked about by fans is Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins. The former All-Star was traded to the Heat after a long tenure with the Golden State Warriors.
Miami is likely heading toward a rebuild, so the 30-year-old forward is one of their better trade assets they can use to get younger. The Lakers could be a logical fit for Wiggins. He fit their timeline and would help bring some better perimeter defense.
Lakers beat writer for The Athletic, Jovan Buha, was presented with a trade idea that would send Rui Hachimura to the Heat for Wiggins. He endorsed that potential trade.
“I like that trade,” Buha said of the hypothetical deal on a video posted to his YouTube channel. “I know Wiggins has been a popular guy for Lakers Twitter. He is someone that — I think among the realistic options — he is someone that would check a lot of boxes for the Lakers.”
Wiggins averages 18.5 points per game over his career, while Hachimura only averages 12.8. However, the former is 30 while the latter is only 27, so he’d make more sense for where the Heat’s roster is right now.
JJ Redick Was Impressed With Hachimura This Season
On paper, Wiggins is a better player than Hachimura, but the young forward became an important part of the Lakers’ rotation this season. Head coach JJ Redick was really impressed with what he saw from Hachimura.
“I thought Rui had an outstanding season and he was incredibly important to what we were able to do this year,” Redick said in his exit interview. “He was a vital cog on both sides of the ball and the games that he missed, it was apparent to the coaching staff how valuable he was. Particularly in the last two games, I thought he played extremely well in the playoffs. I’m excited to see his growth and I think some of that is paint decision-making, some of that is working on his handles and his closeouts.
“But of all the guys that we laid out what we expect from them, what we’re asking them to do and starring in their role, he’s up there at the top of the list for just embracing that and starring in that role all year.”
Hachimura played very well at times for the Lakers in the playoffs, so adding Wiggins doesn’t guarantee a better chance at winning.
Lakers Would Still Need a Center
Even if the Lakers trade for Wiggins, it doesn’t necessarily fill a need. The team’s biggest need is at center. The Heat player that could make the most sense for Los Angeles is Bam Adebayo.
However, he’s going to cost more than Hachimura in a trade, and his contract would make a deal between the two teams complicated. Hachimura is a player who can be used in a trade for a center, so the Lakers shouldn’t deal him until they have a center on the roster, or he’s part of the deal to land a center.
