The Los Angeles Lakers have stepped up their pursuit of Miami Heat player Andrew Wiggins as training camp approaches, according to Forbes’ Evan Sidery.
“Los Angeles is highly open to dealing former first-round pick Dalton Knecht, along with the requisite expiring salary. Miami wants a future first-round selection included in the deal,” Sidery wrote on X Saturday.
According to NBA expert Marc Stein, Wiggins is a potential target for the Lakers, who recently signed a long-term contract with Luka Dončić.
“League sources say L.A. would indeed have interest in adding a two-way swingman who can raise their ceiling,” Stein wrote in his The Stein Line newsletter on September 8. ”
“Is this the type of player who the Lakers would be interested in? My read (assuming Miami makes him available) is Andrew Wiggins.”
Previous talks were stalled due to high prices.
Earlier this offseason, ClutchPoints’ Anthony Irwin revealed that exploratory talks on a Wiggins-for-Rui Hachimura trade fell through.
“One story, and the one I heard more directly, was that the Miami Heat were asking for Rui Hachimura,” Irwin said on the September 8 episode of his podcast The Lakers Lounge. “They asked for a first-round pick, Gabe Vincent, and possibly Dalton Knecht. The Lakers would have been comfortable trading Dalton or Vincent for Wiggins, and possibly even Rui, but they did not want to add Rui and the first-round pick together.
Wiggins Could Elevate Lakers to the Elite Tier
Wiggins, a two-way wing, would compliment the Lakers’ core lineup of LeBron James, Dončić, Austin Reaves, Marcus Smart, and Hachimura. Jovan Buha believes the move will quickly propel Los Angeles into the Western Conference’s elite tier.
“The Lakers, with the right move, can vault themselves up to the Tier 1 [of NBA title teams] and have a legitimate chance to win a championship,” Buha remarked on his podcast’s September 9th episode. “If the Lakers were to get Andrew Wiggins, or a guy of his ilk, a two-way wing who can guard several positions, including backcourt players and wings, and take that weight off LeBron, Luka, Austin, and Rui— that’s the ideal complement to Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura.”
Buha agreed with Irwin that signing Wiggins while maintaining Hachimura would boost both the Lakers’ first and second units.
Will the ongoing talks finally result in a blockbuster deal that boosts the Lakers’ championship hopes?
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