NBA Trade Rumors: Andrew Wiggins Faces Uncertain Role with Miami Heat Ahead of 2025-26 Season
Andrew Wiggins will enter his first full season with the Miami Heat after being traded by the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Jimmy Butler.
The Heat endured a turbulent campaign last season amid Butler’s drama-filled departure, and now the franchise is shifting its focus fully back to basketball.
Miami had a relatively quiet offseason, adding Norman Powell and Simone Fontecchio while keeping its core of Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Wiggins intact. Rising sophomore Kel’el Ware is also expected to build on his strong rookie year.
Despite the renewed optimism in South Beach, not everyone is convinced. A longtime Eastern Conference scout offered a blunt assessment of Miami’s outlook in a report from the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson.
“Let’s start with who’s better. I see six teams, for sure: New York, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta, Detroit, Milwaukee. Philadelphia is better if they’re healthy. So I would say the Heat’s a solid play-in team,” the scout said.
While praising Adebayo, Herro, and Powell, the scout was less optimistic about Wiggins, who averaged 19.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 17 games for Miami after the midseason trade.
“It’s around a .500 team. If they won 45, it would be a great year. They’re not bad, but they’re not good. Chicago is mediocre. The Heat are maybe a little better than mediocre. They have three very good NBA players with Adebayo, Herro, and Powell. We’ll see about Ware. Andrew Wiggins is meh at this point,” the scout added.
Though Wiggins hasn’t returned to the All-Star form he showed during Golden State’s 2022 championship run, he remains an important piece for Miami. When engaged, he’s a strong two-way contributor with valuable intangibles. However, his name continues to surface in trade rumors as the Heat aim to end their streak of first-round playoff exits.
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