The Miami Heat have a big offseason ahead, but let’s still review what happened this season! To conclude our Miami Heat player review series, we dive into veteran two-way wing Andrew Wiggins!
Past Player Reviews:
- Bam Adebayo
- Simone Fontecchio
- Myron Gardner
- Tyler Herro
- Kasparas Jakucionis
- Jaime Jaquez Jr.
- Keshad Johnson
- Nikola Jovic
- Pelle Larsson
- Davion Mitchell
- Norman Powell
- Dru Smith
- Kel’el Ware
Brief Overview:
2025-26 stats (68 games):
- 15.4 PPG
- 4.8 RPG
- 2.7 ASTS
- 1.0 BLK
- 1.1 STLS
- 47.5 FG%
- 41.4 3P%
- 78.4 FT%
This was Wiggins’ first full campaign in Miami following his arrival as part of the midseason Jimmy Butler trade in 2024-25. Wiggins is an accomplished veteran 3 and D forward that brings an impact on both ends of the floor every night. He may not be the 2022 All-Star version of himself when he was on the Golden State Warriors anymore, but he is a rock solid rotation player that any championship team would love to have.
Wiggs had several standout moments, most notably including his buzzer beating alley oop game winner earlier in the year in an upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is a versatile wing that can be relied upon to guard opposing team’s best perimeter players and also impact offensively with his floor spreading ability and rim slashing. Coach Erik Spoelstra has always trusted him and his veteran presence since day one— as Wiggins has never appeared off the bench in any of his games with the Heat.
Numbers to note:
41.4 — 3-point percentage
Wiggins has always been a reliable 3-point shooter throughout his 13-year career. But even in his age-31 season, he found a way to knock down a career-high 41.4% from deep.
He has always been a much better spot up shooter than off the dribble, but nonetheless, he is statistically one of Miami’s top shooters efficiency wise. It makes a great frontcourt complement to Bam Adebayo and even more so in games that Kel’el Ware has started alongside them as a floor spreading threat.
2.1 — Total ‘stocks’ per game
These are the types of numbers that Spoelstra loves to see— an impact on the defensive end of the floor.
Wiggins has a valuable 7-foot wingspan and puts it to use with getting into passing lanes and altering shots. He averaged 2.1 “stocks” per game; a combination of both steals and blocks. Pair that defensive impact with his outside shooting ability and it makes Wiggs one of the more underrated 3 & D players in the league.
19.7 — Usage rate
Despite his 15.4 points per game being the lowest of his career, context matters in this regard. Wiggins also had the lowest usage rate of his career at 19.7, which is even lower than his rookie season back in 2014-15 at 21.1.
Wiggins hasn’t been asked to be a focal point of Miami’s offense. He plays to more of a role here, and excels at that. Make no mistake, he is still capable of his occasional 25-30 points outings, but that type of scoring production just hasn’t been a consistent feature of his game for the Heat.
Best Game?
Alongside Davion Mitchell, Wiggins’ best game of the year came in the most important game of the year. Despite the loss, Wiggins stepped up with 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting (55%) and four 3-point makes in Miami’s 127-126 overtime play-in loss versus the Charlotte Hornets. He also chipped in 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
In a night where Adebayo went down early with an injury, the Heat desperately needed a scoring spark. It didn’t help that both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell didn’t have the best nights, but Wiggins’ efforts helped keep Miami afloat and gave them a chance to extend their season. It wasn’t enough, but that game wouldn’t have been as close as it was without his offense.
What’s next?
Wiggins has evidently made it clear that he would like to stay in Miami for next season.
He has a $30 million player option for the upcoming 2026-27 season. If he opts in, he would be set to earn that figure for the Heat next year barring any trade. But if he opts out, Wiggins will be an unrestricted free agent. He has until June 29 to make a decision on his opt out.
That $30 million price tag isn’t outrageous, but it’s slightly above his market value. Opting out to return on a more team friendly deal would make things much more flexible for Miami to re-tool. Of course, he could also just completely walk for nothing if someone matches that salary or even exceeds it. Wiggs is a quality role player to have around, but doesn’t necessarily fit the timeline of this Heat team. A big trade acquisition (Giannis?) could instantly change that notion and make him even more valuable as a supplemental piece on a contender in the East.
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Uh oh, just saw that the Heat might also be interested in Markkanen. That would cause quite a stir here. So, let me say I’ve always liked him, he can flat out score and rebound. But I wouldn’t want the fo to pay much for him. Not because he’s white, but because he hasn’t played a full season his entire career.
I don’t think so.
1) He’s owed almost $150M over the next 3 years
2) He has played an average of 54.7 games per season during his 9 season career
3) He is a poor defender with declining skills
4) His has averaged 23.6 ppg the past 4 years with a Utah team that routinely tanks
5) It makes no sense to get rid of two one-way players (Herro and Powell) in order to bring in another one at a much higher cost
6) He plays PF, the same position as Bam
7) Danny Ainge and Riley don’t like each other so Ainge isn’t going to do Miami any favors
Don’t shoot the messenger. Just relaying what I read amongst the myriad of rumors. I look forward to June 23 and the days immediately following. If a huge trade is going to happen, I think it will happen soon after. At least I hope it does. I want to have a better idea of who is on this team. Whatever and whoever, I will find the positives.
the ics are one way out players(allman bros)pat and ainge dont do biz together.1% chance of that happening.jazz have the market for big vanillas.could use one as a backup
Ainge has been wanting Herro for a while. I wonder who/what he is willing to give up for him.
Maybe there’s a possible 3 way trade with Utah, Clippers and Heat involving Herro, Markkanen and Kahwi, plus fillers and picks.
Markkanen would be an ideal fit next to Bam but hard to see the Jazz trading him after he put up with tanking for multiple years and now they are finally going to try to win this season. Would be bad business. And at 28 and with a decent contract, <30% of the cap, the price would probably be similar to Giannis, and at that point just get the better talent in Giannis who is definitely available and will be traded.
could u imagine wemby guarding prime shaq hed have no chance.wheres the next shaq.
I think Shaq would have an equally tough time guarding Wemby.
shaq was mobile when he was young.he would eat wemby alive in his prime no contest rc.theres no shaqs around anymore.maybe we can get one in the 2030 draft
Again, opinion. Wemby is taller, faster than Shaq ever was, longer wingspan, much much much better shooter. Shaq might dominate under the basket, Wemby would dominate everywhere else.
wembys the most talented 7 footer ive ever seen.spurs are going to dominate for a good decade if he stays healthy.
prime shaq prime wemby who would u take,id take wemby thats scary becuase hes just getting going what a talent he is
I’d say Wemby only because Shaq couldn’t hit the side of a barn from more than a few feet. I remember him trying to shoot free throws – fugly! He even tried the Rick Barry underhand style.
I agree. The one very real concern would be Shaq seriously injuring Wemby if they tangled in the paint/under the basket.
On Pop – rude or funny?
Gregg Popovich is both, often acting as a witty, sardonic, or intentionally difficult “curmudgeon” to media members, yet viewed by many as humorous, authentic, and “soft” behind the scenes. His blunt, short in-game interviews are widely seen as a protest against the required interruption, with some finding them rude and others finding them hilarious.
I was definitely in the latter category. I found him funny and genuine. Let’s be honest, when a reporter asks a coach what they need to do in the second half, what the heck should they say? How many times do you have to say we need to play better on defense, we need to show more grit, guys just need to step up, we’re gonna have to get more stops.
be respectful rc he gives them a look like gtfoh.they have a job to do he knows that,belicheat was the same to
Pop was nothing like Belechick. He was very respectful when it counted.
yeah bills a total ahole to the media all the time.our coach says nothing but spoisms
Pop is misunderstood by many. He’s old school. If he respects you he treats you one way. If he doesn’t he treats you another. You cannot allow him to intimidate you. I know his personality type. If you pass his manhood, toughness, character and integrity tests and appreciate his warped sense of humor, you can get along very well with him. If you are a wimp, two-faced, a liar or lack integriry, he will eat you for lunch.
he was very discourteous to all those stupid sideline interviews at halftime.what else u going to judge him on.i know hes a great coach but be a little nicer to those female reporters and hfl will respect u more .btw pop who shut down the air during the finals versus our fav team son.lightning storm.malfunction or u?
Pop hates stupid questions, no matter who is asking them. He especially dislikes people who ask them, male or female. Pop doesn’t care who dislikes him.
Most of players and coaches just follows the general guidelines, probably given by PR people, which makes them say nothing wrong, but also say nothing interesting and genuine.
Popovich is a rare exemption.
Spo, for example, is simply irritating. He hardly let the journalists finish their question, and the answers are polished, obviously not honest and always the same, no matter what.
Yeah, I like Spo, but we laugh here when we listen to his post game interviews. If I took a drink every time he said grit or purpose, I’d be drunk all the time.
i disconnect with all his connected spoisms
It’s like the “big lie.” If you tell yourself the same lie over and over again…you start believing it.
spot on all coach talk is very uninteresting for the most part.spos is all a bunch of bs 100% scripted.
We are all adults. Riley and Spo should just be straight forward. We’re all adults. We can handle it. We don’t mind them lying to us but that bull****ing has got to go.
You are wrong here. First, lot of fans are not adults. Second, when things are going south, the rest of fans activate their childish instincts.
And there is always a group of old timers, in different stages of…. ups, did I said too much?
If you want proof of that, all you need to do is read comments here for a few days, haha.
Just joking… seniors on this site are most definitely the best part of community.
What an a$$whoopin?
Still one more to go. I don’t like to assume.
Then don’t. But its OK to presume.
Wolves fans: Wemby should’ve been suspended the rest of this series
Aww, nobody said life was fair, lol.
2 standards of justice in NBA. Like in the real world. Just look at Washington.
bullets were ok demons and wizards (uriah heep) lol.wasnt jordan running the show for a while? didnt mj draft kwami savoy brown?
Washington is the Sacramento of the East.
Yup and Charlotte should have reimbursed the Heat for the cost of Rozier’s salary and given back the 2027 pick. That ain’t gonna happen either. Miami wimped out on that rotten deal.
when your second best player is suking (randle) your in trouble.when your ss is hurt your not beating the spurs
OKC vs Spurs wcf might be the real finals. Dogs fighting but Minny lineup not enough to stop an alien and his minions
harper reminds me of ray strickland ?
Rod Strickland
yup games pretty similar the handle use of left hand to finish
okc spurs who u like rc
Very tough. I lean towards the champs. But I’d be happy if it was the Spurs, if for no other reason but to bug you. But this series isn’t over yet.
Spurs are bad match-up for OKC. The team that wins that series should be next champ.
Agree
dont like naz reids game dude just chucks 3s
That’s today. Tomorrow is another day.
dylan harpers the best of their youngens.spurs are set up nicely for a while.greeks gonna have to join a super team to beat them that aint the miami heat
That’s exactly what I have been trying to tell you. Riley is selling woof tickets and some folks are buying. OKC and Spurs will be on top next 8-10 years? I believe it.
EXACTLY!!!!!!
spurs havent been in playoffs since 2017 i dont want almost a decade of that for the heat.at that rate i might be 6 ft under im not into a decade of mediocrity we’re are not that far away just get a fn ss anyway we can .give greek a cruise ship if u have to.ill take 3 great years of greek and worry about2029 in 2029
You are beginning to sound like Riley. All about you. It should be what is best for the team. P.S. I’ll be 6 feet under long before you.
I know you’re not just finding that out. It could not have been clearer when he was adamant about our team, which was actually worse last season, to get into the playoffs because he wanted 4 more Eric Reid announced games. And we know both the result of those 4 games, and what we may have lost by not getting the eleventh pick.
and 4 more nights with u just as important
lol!
sorry to hear that sm.i dont know what id do w/o your posts rcs dont bring the juice yours do sports is entertainment.concerts entertainment traveling entertainment just give me a good competitive team with e reid andu and rc s posts im good .if they win great if they lose life goes on .heres to your health sm may u live to see the heat win another champ or two or three.
Hear hear! And I am like the cookies and milk of posts – fun to have, but just empty calories.
You make much more sense than most. Keep doing what you’re doing.
Thanks heat.
It takes all types. I don’t always agree with everything everyone says. However, I do appreciate everyone’s views and perspectives, as long as we don’t resort to calling each other names and show blatant disrespect, Otherwise, I’m cool with hearing what everybody has to say.
This is an especially interesting time of year because of all the possibilties (drafts, trades, free agents, contract expirations and extensions, team’s future direction, etc.).
I’m just hoping Riley doesn’t make another ill advised impulsive decision (like the Jovic 4 year extension) or by going all in on an injury prone player who will eat up a lot of the salary cap and play half the season (or less). Btw, I read today that Jaquez will probably not receive an extension until/unless Jovic is traded.
Dylan Harper. Obviously 6’5” is not too big for a guard. In fact, it can be an advantage.
u cant compare his athleticism to jaco if thats what your getting at rc
Back to best available. Jako 20th pick and Harper at top of lottery. Very unfair to compare. Gotta tank to get a Wemby, Castle, Harper.
Wassa matta you? Don’t you know that draft picks don’t count. He probably would’ve said that Harper is not a difference maker.
harper looks like a diff maker in the making not yet certified by hfl quite yet need to see more
Forget athleticism. You did not qualify your statement. You simply said 6’5” is too big for a guard and I disagreed. Regardless, Kas’ size can be an advantage.
pg not guard.most great pgs throughout nba have been around 6 2 less magic
Again, limited knowledge and research. Big O 6’5”, Penny 6’7”, Luka 6’7”, Dylan Harper’s dad 6’6”, Livingston 6’7”, Haliburton 6’5”. Gary Peyton 6’4”, Kidd 6’4.
There are many more. Height has nothing to do with the pg position. Skill has everything to do with it.
ok put jaco at pg u win rc
Don’t need to, he already plays there as well as sg.
Magic Johnson?
rudy jovertic
Castle, Vassell, Johnson, Fox, Harper = a pretty strong group.
Spurs got good system. Good system+3 tanking years = contender lol
johnson to yeah theyre gonna be a problem for a while rc
Yup. Lottery picks. Heat hasn’t had one since 2019 and that was bottom of lottery, like this year:s, not at top.
antman at about 70% too bad for them lgh
rudy gobert having a jovic type game
tie game go wolves
61 59 go wolves yes f the cheaters and popacheat
The delusional cheat chant again. Sad.
admiral duncan wemby .huh how why very suspicous.let me clarify i hated gregg cheatovich.his disrespectful interviews to sideline reporters was classless
If you think that, you didn’t get him. The guy was really funny. My favorite coach.
fav coach benedict rc arnold
Haha! I will accept that.
Miami is light years behind Spurs and OKC. One ss ain’t gonna do it heat.
Best way to get a top 5 player without sacrificing youth and picks is to focus on developing youth, trade older players or allow contracts to expire and bite the bullet for 1-2 years.
Miami has to decide if the objective is to be a respectable/ playoff team or to win a title?
cheaters got wemby .u put him on any team their a playoff team asap.one ss changes a teams fortune overnight.u build thru the draft and dont get a ss what good is it.i could go to my local drugstoe and pickup a pelle jjj jaco anytime with no problem.wembys and sgas always n/a at local store
So ridiculous. You are so jealous of Spurs having Wemby that you can’t admit there could not be any cheating. And as far as the a/c issue, why would that have affected the Heat any more than the Spurs? Two hot weather teams. The Heat lost, move on.
the ac went out.bron and wade were huffing and puffing.prob planned by popa cheat.not sure why it didnt effect them spurs have had lots of success so have we but now we are looking at mediocrity for a while.im very satisfied for our franchise since pats been here no complaints.but now hes gotten to old and we are mediocre and that could stay that way for a while unless we get greek brings us right into contention with just giving up ware tyler jjj,now add a damar or some other vets and were good
If the right moves are made, they can bounce back sooner than later. I expect they’re going all in on Giannis, but I don’t want to see the whole offseason wasted if they don’t answer quickly. It should be ‘tell us what you want’ and if both sides agree, do it. No lingering endlessly.
Can you spell T-A-N-K?
mickey doesnt tank.forget about it.one year wade got hurt we sukd.otherwise 38 wins or more,family biz needs fan$$
You might be right not one ss ain’t cutting it…but they almost won it all with a pseudo star in quitter so who knows. Of course Heat fo would want multiple ss what franchise doesn’t but we all know there’s lots of “challenges” for that to happen. One step at a time. One ss then maybe the right pieces.
Not if you must give up young players plus picks. Self-defeating.
Unfortunately, I think that’s where we are going. I don’t want anybody to misunderstand me, I would love to get Giannis on our team. Like you, I am not thrilled about the idea of stripping the entire team and the future to do it, but I am hoping that we can add the right pieces to do well now and in the future. If I have to find a silver lining, it is likely that we would be a top 6 seed next season and out of the lottery. That means we would give the miserable Hornets a pick in the 20 range.
No Wemby Spurs = Minny
With Wemby >>> Minny
yeah guys incred player put him on any team that team better than heat
wemby less spurs would not beat the heat my opinion
Nit in my opinion.
ok
wemby wemby wemby wow
Interesting detailed profiles on projected lottery picks.
https://www.nbadraft.net/
no difference makers get greek or kawhi both caLL IT a day
You clearly don’t know that.
He’s a delusional fanboy what do you expect
go wolves beat the cheat ers
For those of you with time on your hands, here’s a few first and second round prospect profiles. Quite a few worth considering.
POSSIBLE FIRST ROUND PICKS
https://www.tankathon.com/players/yaxel-lendeborg
https://www.tankathon.com/players/labaron-philon
https://www.tankathon.com/players/nate-ament
https://www.tankathon.com/players/hannes-steinbach
https://www.tankathon.com/players/cameron-carr
https://www.tankathon.com/players/karim-lopez
https://www.tankathon.com/players/koa-peat
https://www.tankathon.com/players/morez-johnson-jr
POSSIBLE SECOND ROUND PICKS
https://www.tankathon.com/players/henri-veesaar
https://www.tankathon.com/players/alex-karaban
https://www.tankathon.com/players/flory-bidunga
https://www.tankathon.com/players/tarris-reed-jr
https://www.tankathon.com/players/richie-saunders
https://www.tankathon.com/players/zuby-ejiofor
https://www.tankathon.com/players/jaden-bradley
Sad about Brandon Clarke. 29 years old. Possible drug overdose. RIP Brandon.
Yes it is.
jalen brown or herro ware jjj
trade him
Nothing bad about Wigg, a true professional. Still, he is a bit too expensive for what he brings. I wonder if there is a player with most of his production and half of his price available somewhere. If there is, I would go in that direction.
Unless he is willing to sign for 20 mill/year.
There’s some dude named Jaquez who had similar stats (ppg, rpg, apg).
I mean defensive productivity too. JJJ is not at the similar level then Wiggins.
3 year contract for 60 mil would be the sweet spot
It would. Bot not realistic. He will ask for 75-80 in three years, and somebody will give him that. I hope not Miami.
He’s an average or better defender. He’s not a liability like some others.
Jjj plays some defense just like Wiggins has t locked nobody down in years
Think bringing back Wiggins is high priority, a defense and 40% 3PT shooting skillset is very hard to replace. Anunoby makes >40m because of that.
Wiggins showed he was a playoff/16 game player in 2022, avg 18/9 in Finals while guarding Jayson Tatum. Made his first and only all star game that year, actually shot better this year but on fewer shots per game. He has power forward length (8’11” standing reach), would give Heat great positional size at 3 position vs playing 4 this past year.
Wiggins 2021-22 GSW (All-Star)
17.2 ppg, 14 FGA, 54%EFG
Wiggins 2025-26 Miami
15.4 ppg, 12 FGA, 56%EFG
Is he a no 3 option in contender team?
He is not in my opinion.
So he shouldn’t be paid like one.
Heat needs his type of player, but at half or 2/3 of his price. I believe there are other options, which can provide most of his production for less. And I also believe, that some other team will need exactly him, and that team will pay him.
He was the #2 scorer for GSW in 2022 in the Finals. Then signed a 4 year/$109m contract after that, $27m aav. Heat should be able to resign him for less. If they get Giannis he is an absolutely essential to bring back IMO, he fits a Giannis team perfectly. Need shooting and defense around Giannis
I remember that year, when he was at his top. With Curry gaining all the attention there is no wonder he was.
He might fit, but he is too expensive. With that money commited to Bam and Giannis there is no place for that expensive small forward in the starting lineup.
Simone could fit even better in lineup with Bam and Giannis.
I like Simone but going from Wiggins to Simone is replacing a starter with someone who was not even in the Heat rotation this year. You lose so much defense and shooting going from Wiggins to Simone. Since Wiggins was traded to GSW he’s averaged 38% 3FG or better in 4 of the last 6 years, Simone has done that 1 in 4 years.
Wings that have Wiggins’ combination of length, defense, shooting, self-creation on offense are simply very hard to find. I would take OG ($42.5m contract AAV), Jaden McDaniels ($26m) over Wiggins. Other comparable contracts are Aaron Nesmith $20m, Toumani Camara $20m, Kentavious Caldwell Pope, $22m.
$20m is the floor for 3&D wings, anything between 20-25 would be a big win for the Heat imo.
If Wiggins was still on GSW or another higher profile team I think his season would be talked about more, he had a really good year.
At least Lakers made it to semis. Series might’ve gone to 7 games if Luka healthy. I don’t think Bron’s gonna retire yet. He’ll still be a Laker though but maybe last run.
LeBron, Lakers, swept.
No chance without Luka. With Luka would be an interesting series, but OKC is a better team.
I like Wiggs but he’s unlikely to stay coz he’s a good trade package inclusion.
The stats shows Heat got good offense this failed season and what they need is to up their d and obviously a closer in the form of a ss. That tells us they need a two-way ss so Kawhi fits the bill but problem is his health. Well most available ss linked with Miami has that problem and is above to mid 30s. Risk is aways involved but that is always the case even when drafting, trading. Only the future can tell us if its a win or bust.
u never know until u know
dunc dum foul just never ends glad hes not a heater give my hand a rest talking about his defensive deficiencies
paul reeds looks better than duren hes super active like him alot.stewart to we need those types not softies like niko
how to beat det put size on cade .atkinson put d wade on him .cades a bullie not the best shooter
I would have no problem if they re-signed Wiggins for about $20m on a 2 or 3 year contract.
If the Heat trades for Kahwi, I could see Wiggins playing SG. Two year extension @$20-$25M per year sounds about right. Herro, Jovic and pick to Clippers for Kahwi sounds about right.
Wiggins can and has played shooting guard (SG) in the NBA. While primarily a small forward (SF), his 6’8″ size, athleticism, and defensive capability make him a versatile option at the two-guard spot, particularly as a large SG who can create mismatches.
Mitchell, Wiggins, Kahwi, Bam, Ware
Jakucionis, Larsson, Jaquez, new PF, new C
*I think Clippers will hold out for Wiggins, Jaquez plus another young player and a pick, rather than Jovic.
kawhi for norm thats an additional 10 wins.could win the east.
Norm $20M. Kahwi $50M.
bams 50 to thats a problem.kawhis a needle mover max player.gimme 3 years to watch a ss as long as hes playoff avail im good
whos a better player norm or wig?who would u rather have.its close pretty much same type level.at the right price like them both back with a ss
I agree both are very good and hard working. I’d choose Wiggins due to age and defense.
If they get Giannis, I can see both being re-signed.
Powell is a 1-way player and turns 33 on May 25th. Wiggins is 2-way player who turned 31 on Feb. 23rd.
norms def a better offensive player,wiggy cant drive like norm.doesnt shoot it as well as norm.problem with norm are old man injuries second half of season.believe thats why lac let him go for nada so based on that id take wig over norm.wig or mikail bridges whos better player sm?i think there very similar type players
Norm is a one way player. You don’t like one way players. Bridges better than Wiggins. Josh Hart also good player with different skill set.
between hart bridges wig norm .im taking hart.bridges not better than wig or norm same level
his d not that bad lebron.i watch him play it aint that bad .obvious herros suks.hard to listen to stats on d with all the switching pick n rolls whos to blame. watch the games best way.duncs d on donovan was so laughable last night and always its good to laugh in life if i watched dunc play on d night after night i might live til 100