The Los Angeles Lakers have had quite a summer. It wouldn’t be Los Angeles without the drama, and the Lakers had plenty of that this summer. The Lakers, as always, were at the forefront of the offseason. It was expected that the Lakers would make a massive roster move; instead, they added three key role players while losing only one. It is clear that the Lakers need to make a few more moves to get themselves into title contention, and there are several ways they could achieve this.
The Lakers are always in the hunt for an upgrade, and NBA insider Marc Stein believes they are still in pursuit of All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins. Stein said the Lakers are still interested in Wiggins.
“Wiggins, 30, will earn $28.2 million this season and holds a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. I wouldn’t have classified him as a potential purple-and-gold target before Dončić’s long-term future was secured, but things are different now. So my sense is that the Lakers would have interest if the Heat, in coming weeks or months, decide to prioritize financial flexibility and look to reduce payroll.”
What Would a Deal for Andrew Wiggins Look Like?
The one-time All-Star would certainly be a massive upgrade to the Lakers’ frontcourt, but the price is hefty. Reports from earlier in the summer suggested that the price for Wiggins would be two first-round picks. A potential deal for Wiggins, as things stand, would include two first-round picks, plus the likes of either Rui Hachimura or Dalton Knecht.
Wiggins would be the perfect player alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James. He can play both sides of the ball; he doesn’t need the ball to thrive and is capable of guarding the best player from the opposing team. The 30-year-old has played alongside some of the best players in the world, so he knows how to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team. The Lakers currently own five of their first-round picks, but the most coveted is the 2031 pick.
LA has shown that they are quite hesitant to move those picks. However, if a deal for a mega star were to present itself, Lakers president Rob Pelinka would be more than willing to package that for a superstar. All summer long, the Lakers were linked to Wiggins, but nothing has yet to materialize. The chances of that happening with less than a month away from the start of the season seem bleak.
