The Los Angeles Lakers have remained in the conversation as potential championship contenders despite dealing with constant injury misfortune. Following Luka Dončić’s 44-point, 12-rebound, six-assist performance in their 117-112 NBA Cup group play victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night, Los Angeles’ general manager Rob Pelinka may be ready to pull the trigger on a productive trade to support the 26-year-old superstar while he’s still healthy.
Unfortunately, one NBA writer believes that their highly coveted summer trade target and ex-Golden State Warriors star may be swiftly removed from the market in the coming weeks due to his team’s scorching start to the new season.
“The offseason rumor mill once flooded with talk of Andrew Wiggins and the Los Angeles Lakers being a match made in heaven,” FanSided’s Svyatoslav Rovenchuk wrote Saturday morning.
“Rob Pelinka’s pursuit of a two-way upgrade on the wings may be forced to take an alternative path by the time the NBA trade deadline comes around.”
“It is still very early in the NBA season, but the Miami Heat do not look the part of the complete afterthought some would have thought them to be heading into 2025-26.”
“The Lakers should quickly start making backup plans.”
The Miami Heat’s 2022 All-Star and NBA champion Andrew Wiggins had been on Pelinka’s radar for most of the summer of 2025, but a trade never materialized to pair the experienced wing with Dončić and 21-time All-Star LeBron James.
One of Pelinka’s more crucial missions of the offseason was to land a few complementary, two-way pieces to hopefully make up for Dončić’s defensive woes while also providing him with capable scoring options. There’s no question that the 30-year-old Wiggins fits this description, but the Heat’s impressive 3-2 start to the new season and No. 3 ranked 10.4 net rating have given little indication of a future fire-sale.
Miami’s fantastic beginning on both sides of the floor could partially be attributed to Wiggins’ positive production, as he’s averaged a solid 16.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.8 blocks in five appearances. As a result, the former No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft may have thrown a massive wrench in the Lakers’ plans leading up to the trade deadline. Then again, a long season still lies ahead for both squads.
