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Lakers head coach JJ Redick and Rob Pelinka, President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, arrive for press conference
The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly pursued a trade for Andrew Wiggins this past offseason, but refused to meet the Miami Heat’s asking price for the 2022 NBA Champion. The Lakers may get another opportunity to acquire the 3-and-D wing ahead of the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline.
According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Heat are gauging trade interest in Wiggins, who can potentially become a free agent for the 2025-26 season.
“Miami has gauged the trade market on small forward Andrew Wiggins, who has a $30.17 million player option for the 2026-27 season,” Scotto reported on Dec. 18.
Heat Set High Asking Price
The Heat have set an asking price of one future first-round pick and two rotational players who can contribute to their playoff pursuit, per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.
The Lakers can match that offer, as they have the expiring contracts of Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent and Maxi Kleber and one tradeable first-round pick (2031 or 2032) to offer in deals. However, some insiders have suggested that they could be holding onto all their draft capital — they can trade three picks over the offseason — in pursuit of a blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo or another superstar.
But the Lakers may have no option but to trade one of those picks before the Feb. 5 deadline to shore up their mediocre defense. JJ Redick’s team, which ranks 22nd in defense, could use a stout perimeter defender like Wiggins to solve its most pressing need. During Thursday’s win over the Utah Jazz, they gave up 78 first-half points — a recurring trend against both good and bad teams this season.
Who are the Lakers Trade Targets?
Besides Wiggins, the Lakers have reportedly set their sights the New Orleans Pelicans‘ Herb Jones, Sacramento Kings’ Keon Ellis and Dallas Mavericks’ Daniel Gafford.
While Jones, one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, is signed through the 2029-30 season, Ellis is an unrestricted free agent in 2026. Gafford is also signed through the 2028-29 campaign after inking a three-year extension last summer.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently said that a pathway exists for a Lakers trade for a player like Jones or Gafford, provided the Rob Pelinka-led front office can take on a multi-year deal, not just an expiring contract.
“Yes, absolutely, especially if they’re willing to take on money past this year and swap out an expiring contract,” Windhorst responded to a fan. “By next month, we’ll have a feel for who might be available in this type of deal.”
The Lakers could be hesitant to take on long-term money due to their reported plan to open up cap space for 2026 and 2027. As is well documented, only Luka Doncic and ($49.8M), Jarred Vanderbilt ($12.4M) and Jake LaRavia ($6M) are on guaranteed contracts entering the 2026-27 season, allowing the Lakers to open up more than $70M in cap space.
“Everything about the Lakers since trading for Luka Dončić has been about prioritizing their flexibility in the summer of 2026. LeBron James has a no-trade clause, so he’s probably not going anywhere,” The Athletic’s Zach Harper wrote in his NBA trade deadline preview piece, predicting the Lakers to stand pat and not make major moves.