Andrew Wiggins is forever etched in Golden State Warriors folklore following his heroics in the 2021-22 season, having been the second-best player behind Stephen Curry in the franchise's historic championship run.
But after failing to totally recapture that form since, Wiggins has only been involved in one winning playoff series over the past three years. He and the Warriors subsequently found themselves in a tough spot -- while Wiggins was still a valuable player, he no longer held the ability to be the second-best player on a team looking to contend.
Wiggins ultimately couldn't give Golden State what they needed, and Golden State couldn't get what they needed without moving Wiggins. That led to his departure before February's mid-season trade deadline, having been moved to the Miami Heat in a blockbuster deal for 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler.
Lakers can now grant Andrew Wiggins what the Warriors couldn't
Wiggins is now ideally served as nothing more than the third-best player on a team, or at least one that's looking to contend deep into the playoffs. He kind of has that in Miami given the presence of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, but neither of those players are at the superstar tier to make the Heat contenders anyway.
That could change for Wiggins if he finds himself at the Los Angeles Lakers, something that has again come up in conversation after a report from NBA insider Marc Stein during Monday's piece on his Substack.
The Lakers could offer Wiggins the perfect role -- a defined position as the team's third or perhaps fourth-most important player where he feeds off the brilliance of Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
The 2022 All-Star could focus solely on guarding the opposing team's best perimeter or wing player, then take advantage of open catch-and-shoot threes that Doncic and James could deliver him on the other end.
Playing alongside Doncic, James and in Los Angeles certainly brings a degree of pressure that many players can struggle with, but the 2022 playoff run proves that Wiggins can step up and become an even better version of himself in the biggest moments.
The ironic aspect is that the 30-year-old would be an excellent third option for the Warriors now behind Curry and Butler, but the only possibility of that may come mid-season if the franchise can get Jonathan Kuminga back on a contract somewhere close to the $28.2 million Wiggins is set to earn.
That gives the Lakers plenty of time to swoop in and nab the former Warrior star in a move that might elevate themselves above Golden State in the Western Conference pecking order.