Despite an impressive start to the season with the Miami Heat, former Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins could reportedly find himself on the trade block again leading into February's deadline.
Wiggins found himself on the move last season in the blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler, but while he could be in a similar predicament again, there's a catch in that it almost certainly won't include a reunion with the Warriors.
Warriors won't be able to trade for Andrew Wiggins despite his availability
The idea of reuniting with Wiggins has been floated previously, particularly if he could be a third offensive option now next to Butler and Stephen Curry, rather than being tasked with too much more which became problematic in his last season or so with Golden State.
However, the Heat, much like the Warriors in the Butler trade, are going to be seemingly looking for an upgrade from Wiggins rather than selling the veteran forward for young players and picks, according to a report from NBA insider Jake Fischer on Sunday.
"Sources insist, however, that Miami is indeed willing to part with Andrew Wiggins (and his $28.2 million salary) in the proverbial right deal," Fischer wrote.
This means Golden State really aren't in a position to trade for Wiggins, with Miami potentially using Wiggins as a way to push into stronger Eastern Conference contention following their 14-10 start to the season.
A package for Wiggins from the Warriors would likely center around Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. While there have been suggestions that the Heat could hold interest in Kuminga previously, he's not the sort of player who's going to jolt their championship hopes in the short-term.
Wiggins has averaged 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 21 games with the Heat this season, shooting 48.3% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point range. That's consistent with what the 2022 All-Star has done throughout his career, including in five years with Golden State where he was such a big part of the 2022 championship.
The Warriors will be exploring trades for Kuminga once he becomes trade eligible, with that only further signified by the fact he was a DNP in Sunday's win over the Chicago Bulls despite the absence of veteran forward Draymond Green.
Yet the ability to flip him for Wiggins doesn't appear like a plausible scenario, unless the Warriors were willing to offload significant draft capital which really made it an offer too good for the Heat to refuse.