When the Miami Heat landed Giannis Antetokounmpo this summer, the consensus was clear: pair a two-time MVP with Bam Adebayo and Erik Spoelstra, and you're instantly a top-tier contender. But nine games in? It just hasn't clicked . They're 3-6 and coming off a flat 120-100 loss to Golden State, where Andrew Wiggins had two points on six shots in 21 minutes.
Nobody's panicking in early November, but if you're looking at why this offense feels so cramped , Wiggins is right in the center of the frame. He's struggling with 8.6 PPG while shooting 40.8% overall and 29.7% from deep. Last year, he gave them 15.4 points a night on 41.4% from three.
In a vacuum, slumps happen. But on a wing next to two paint-dominant stars, those empty calories hurt fast. Giannis is doing his thing (27.3 PPG, 12.5 RPG) and Bam is putting up 18.6 and 8.0, but the overall flow isn't there, mainly due to the Heat's lack of an outside threat, with Tim Hardaway Jr. also at 24.3% from 3.
Pairing Giannis and Bam was always going to test Miami's spacing. Bam is hitting under 18% of his threes, and as a team, Miami is 21st with 33.1% from deep. When Wiggins isn't punishing defenses for helping off him, the paint gets incredibly crowded, leaving Spoelstra with zero driving lanes for his main creators.
The good news for Pat Riley is that Wiggins can be a pretty sweet trade chip. His contract ($30.2M this year before his extension kicks in at $16.5M in 2027-28) is a massive, flexible matching salary to move right now without creating long-term cap headaches.
A 3-6 start wasn't the plan. If Miami wants to clear out the paint and get real perimeter shooting around their stars, here are three realistic trade targets they should be making calls on.
Miami Heat Receive: Michael Porter Jr.
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, 2027 second-round pick
If I'm Pat Riley, MPJ is my very first call. He is the exact archetype of the 6-foot-10 movement shooter Miami desperately needs next to their two interior forces, and he's having a dynamite opening month in Brooklyn.
Michael Porter Jr. is putting up 21.4 points and 7.4 rebounds while hitting 38.9% of his threes on absurd volume, and we're talking nine attempts a night. At his size, his release point is so high that he doesn't need complex play designs to get a clean shot off. He just shoots over contests like they aren't even there.
The fit is just plug-and-play. MPJ doesn't need to dribble the air out of the ball. Giannis drives downhill, Bam operates from the elbows, and Porter just drifts around the arc, waiting to make teams pay whenever they collapse inside. Imagine being an opposing defense and having to pick between sending help on a Giannis drive or leaving MPJ wide open from deep. That's a universe away from defenders just completely ignoring Wiggins on the perimeter.
Now, Brooklyn might hold out for more given how well Porter is playing, even at 2-6. But with his $40.8 million contract expiring, the Nets have to decide if they want to pay him again. Nikola Jovic is only 23, makes $16.2 million, and is signed through 2029-30, giving Brooklyn a super intriguing young forward to develop. Wiggins acts as the salary balancer whose contract drops significantly next year, and the second-rounder is a sweet little sweetener.
Financially, Miami sends out roughly $46.4 million and takes back $40.8 million, trimming about $5.6 million off their sheet, which is a huge deal for their first-apron tax spot. On paper, he's the cleanest position-for-position upgrade on the market despite the defensive woes.
Miami Heat Receive: Zach LaVine
Sacramento Kings Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Ryan Conwell
This one is a totally different concept. Zach LaVine isn't going to replace Wiggins defensively, but he gives Miami something they lack when games grind down to a halt in the fourth quarter: a guy who can just go get you 25 or 30 points on pure self-creation.
LaVine is playing great right now, averaging 23.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists with a 64.2% True Shooting percentage and a 38.3% mark from distance. He's already popped for a 37-point game this year, and his ability to attack off the bounce gives Spoelstra a legitimate counter when teams load up the paint against Giannis.
That's a real problem for Miami right now. They have finishers, but they don't have enough guys who can generate efficient offense out of thin air when the half-court breaks down. LaVine is a career 39.1% three-point shooter who can come off screens, attack closeouts, and hit tough pull-ups. Putting him next to Giannis and Bam gives Miami an offensive ceiling they just don't have right now.
Sacramento would obviously listen, too. They're stuck at 1-7, and LaVine is in the final year of his $49.0 million contract. If the Kings decide to move him no matter what, swapping him for younger assets beats losing him for nothing. Jovic is the main project coming back, Ryan Conwell (who's knocking down 40% of his threes in limited minutes) gives them another young guard to look at, and Wiggins brings a veteran wing whose salary plummets next season.
The hold-up is pure cap work. Miami sends out around $47.7 million and takes back LaVine's $49.0 million salary. Because the Heat are hard-capped at the $209.0 million first apron, completing this deal takes some shuffling and potentially needing LaVine's trade kicker to get declined. But if they can clear those hurdles, the offensive punch is undeniable.
Miami Heat Receive: Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale
Charlotte Hornets Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Ryan Conwell, 2027 second-round pick
Now, if Miami wants to pass on a high-usage scorer and just pour gasoline on their perimeter shooting, Grayson Allen makes a ton of sense. The guy has been absolutely unconscious from deep to start the year.
Allen is averaging 15.7 points while shooting 47.1% from the field and an outrageous 49.2% from three on over seven attempts a game. That isn't a small-sample fluke. He just dropped 22 points with five threes against Brooklyn, and a few games before that, he hung 27 with seven triples on Philadelphia.
Dropping a movement shooter like that next to Giannis feels almost unfair. Allen can sprint off baseline screens, spot up in the corners, and attack scrambling defenses off the catch. Plus, bringing back Royce O'Neale ensures Miami doesn't just turn tiny on the wing. O'Neale gives Spoelstra another smart, physical veteran who can guard multiple spots and play alongside either Giannis or Bam.
Charlotte is sitting at 3-6 after dropping five straight, so they could be open to retooling, even if moving Allen while he's on fire is a tough sell. Conwell is the primary young asset for the Hornets , while Wiggins provides wing depth on a deal that drops significantly next season.
Financially, Allen ($18.1M) and O'Neale ($10.9M) bring back about $29.0 million, while Miami sends out $31.5 million, saving around $2.5 million this year. Charlotte gets major cap relief down the road, too, saving over $12 million in 2027-28 when Wiggins' descending contract kicks in.
Charlotte might ask for more draft compensation, but purely from a tactical standpoint, this is the easiest plug-and-play fit. Allen doesn't need the ball, provides instant gravity, and gives Giannis and Bam room to breathe.
If I'm running the Heat, Porter is target number one. He's the closest functional match to what Miami hoped Wiggins would be, but with way more size and elite perimeter stroke. He drops 21 a night, hits almost four threes a game, and fits right in next to Giannis and Bam without forcing Spoelstra to rewrite the playbook.
LaVine is second for the raw shot creation he brings, though the cap apron mechanics and defense make it trickier. Allen is the purest spacer of the bunch, but convincing Charlotte to part with him and O'Neale without giving up a first-round pick is a tough sell.
Either way, sitting tight and hoping Wiggins figures things out while averaging 8.6 PPG just isn't going to cut it for a 3-6 team with championship expectations. Fixing that wing spot has to be Pat Riley's top priority before the deadline.
