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NBA rumors: Why Lakers insider calls Andrew Wiggins trade with Heat ‘unrealistic’
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- NBA rumors: Why Lakers insider calls Andrew Wiggins trade with Heat ‘unrealistic’
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The post NBA rumors: Why Lakers insider calls Andrew Wiggins trade with Heat 'unrealistic' appeared first on ClutchPoints .
The Los Angeles Lakers have talked to the Miami Heat about an Andrew Wiggins trade , but Lakers insider Jovan Buha says right now it's looking like a deal isn't "realistic" due to the Heat's asking price. Buha discussed the Wiggins situation as part of a Q A on his Buha's Block podcast on Monday night.
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Buha recently reported Miami wanted Rui Hachimura , Dalton Knecht and a first-round pick for Wiggins. ClutchPoints' Anthony Irwin initially reported on LA's efforts to land Wiggins .
The Lakers want to upgrade their wing rotation, especially after losing Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets . While Wiggins has stumbled in recent seasons after he earned an All-Star nod and an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors in 2022, he's still a valuable role player when not being asked to do too much on offense. LA needs more defensive help on the wing, and Wiggins could be that while being a fourth or fifth scoring option behind Luka Doncic , LeBron James and Austin Reaves .
The Lakers added Jake LaRavia to help mitigate the loss of Finney-Smith, but more talent is still needed for this roster. Unfortunately, the Heat are asking for quite a bit. While Wiggins would help, giving up a starter in Hachimura, a talented young player in Knecht and a first-round pick for a somewhat uneven player is a bit rich.
Perhaps Miami will wind up lowering the asking price for Wiggins, but it's unclear if that will happen after a significant trade brought in Norman Powell as an upgrade . The Heat are looking to compete in 2025-26, so they're not just going to dump Wiggins for anything.
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If nothing changes on the Andrew Wiggins trade front, it seems as if LA will need to look elsewhere for help on the wing. But don't expect the Lakers to go down without a fight. There's plenty of time to work out a trade, and we'll see if either side blinks.
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