(Photo via Imagn Images)
When the Miami Heat acquired Andrew Wiggins in the Jimmy Butler trade midway through last season, they expected an All-Star caliber two-way wing. They got that in spurts, but availability and fit both on and off the court had plenty of question marks.
Wiggins appeared in just 17 of the possible 31 regular season games for Miami after the trade.
The playoffs was a whole different problem, and one that put the former 2022 All-Star and NBA champion on the trade block this offseason. The 30 year-old forward averaged just 11.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists on abysmal 37% shooting overall during the Heat’s four postseason games.
When the team was desperately searching for another scoring option, Wiggins disappeared on both ends of the floor. And a 4-0 sweep out of their brief playoff appearance by the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers instantly followed.
However, the Heat front office addressed their scoring needs with the trade for Norman Powell this summer. Coming off a career year of his own, Powell’s near 22 points on an efficient 48% shooting and 42% from deep will be a welcome addition to Miami’s roster.
And it could be one that makes everyone else’s job easier, including Wiggins.
Andrew Wiggins averaged 19 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block on 46% shooting in those 17 regular season games for the Miami Heat.
Coming over from the Golden State Warriors, Wiggins was comfortable with his role to complement Steph Curry— and secured a championship to show for it. But the 2025 midseason trade threw a curveball in his comfortability.
He had to relocate to a different conference, while learning a whole new offense, system and culture on the fly in Miami.
Unless you are a plug-and-play superstar in this league, that’s always a tough notion with difficult expectations to fulfill all at once for a player. Luckily for Wiggins, the Heat have seen the vision already.
The 6-foot-7 wing had a fair share of impressive offense explosions during his Heat tenure post-trade. This included a 42-point masterpiece in a win against the Charlotte Hornets— good for one of the greatest performances of his 11-year career.
As useful as those scoring outbursts could be for the Heat, Powell’s addition makes it less of a necessity to be capable of doing so for Wiggins.
He will have his first full training camp with the Heat, and has reportedly gotten his family to relocate with him to South Beach this offseason. There’s also already been footage of him working out in the organization’s practice facility recently.
That off-court comfortability, paired with potentially sliding to the Heat’s fourth scoring option behind Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Powell makes that on-court comfortability a real factor now.
At his best, Wiggins is still a talented and versatile two-way force that can play a big part in Miami’s short-term success. Now it’s up to the former number one overall draft pick to buy-in to the “Heat Culture.”
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Don’t throw that monkey all on Wiggin’s back. Herro’s productivity was also down.
Regular Season: 23.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 5.5 apg
Playoffs: 17.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.8 apg.
Plus, Cleveland isolated on Herro defensively whenever possible.