Lakers & Heat In Serious Trade Talks for Former NBA Champion Andrew Wiggins

Two of the biggest marquee franchises in the NBA could be getting together for a big trade. The Los Angeles Lakers are deep in trade talks with the Miami Heat, with interest in former NBA champion Andrew Wiggins.

Sources: The Lakers and Heat have continued their trade talks. I reported the other day that the Lakers checked in on Andrew Wiggins and negotiations have advanced from there. A deal isn't imminent, but there's been plenty of conversation on this front.

Link coming shortly.
— Anthony F. Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) June 25, 2025

Insider Anthony Irwin calls the conversations "actual trade talks" at this point, while not going so far as to say that a deal is imminent. "There's enough smoke swirling here that it's worth talking about."

What would the return be in a Wiggins deal? It's sounding like Rui Hachimura is the name in play to head to Miami.

Irwin notes, however, with some puzzlement, on today's Lakers Lounge podcast, that "the Lakers came into this offseason talking about their 'core', of obviously Luka (Doncic), LeBron, Austin (Reaves), and then for some reason Rui (Hachimura) was involved in some of the framing there... And the stuff that I had heard was that the Lakers were reluctant to break up that—air quotes—'core.'

"But... If you're including Rui in those 'core' talks, I think that's really stretching the definition of a 'core.' (On the contrary) This (potential trade) feels like a pretty good use of Hachimura's expiring contract."

Could the Heat trade Wiggins to the Lakers?

The Lakers' power forward is in the final season of a three-year, $51 million deal, paying him $18.2M this coming year. Wiggins, a small forward, has two years to run on his deal, that'll pay him $28M in 2025-26, and then on a player option, he could earn $30M in the last year of the contract.

Wiggins, the former first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, was an All-Star in 2022, and a key player in the Golden State Warriors' unexpected championship run. This past season, the 30-year-old Toronto native averaged 18 points per game and 4.2 rebounds, split between the Warriors and the Heat. Those numbers are both right in line with his career marks.

Hachimura averaged 13.1 points and 5.0 rebounds with LA, also both right around his career marks.

We'll have to keep an eye on these talks.