Rob Pelinka
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Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka in April 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers may have slowed their skid with a 115-107 road win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, but it did little to quiet the broader concerns surrounding the direction of the roster.
Injuries have defined much of the season, repeatedly disrupting rotations and continuity. With nine losses in their past 16 games and only three wins over a recent eight-game stretch, the Lakers’ current construction appears to be trending in the wrong direction, with the play-in picture beginning to loom.
Therefore, general manager Rob Pelinka is widely believed to be active ahead of the February 5 trade deadline, searching for reliable two-way wing help.
One familiar name has once again resurfaced in those discussions.
Lakers Continue to Monitor Andrew Wiggins Market
The Lakers have long been linked to Andrew Wiggins and reportedly declined to meet the Miami Heat‘s asking price of two rotation players and a first-round pick last summer.
According to HoopsHype NBA insider Michael Scotto, that interest hasn’t disappeared as the deadline approaches.
“Andrew Wiggins has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, they need a 3-and-D guy,” Scotto said, via the CBS Podcast. “Anybody that’s in that kind of market, Wiggins has a chance to draw some interest from.”
“But the big picture if you’re Miami, you’re also weighing a pursuit for Giannis Antetokounmpo in the summer if he remains with the Bucks. They could hold onto him, he’s played well, he’s been fine, he’s helped them win now. He’s been durable and he’s been everything they want him to be.”
Through 39 games this season, Wiggins is averaging 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 block per game while shooting 46.5% from the field and a career-high 39.8% from three-point range.
The Lakers rank 25th in defensive rating at 117.3 and sit 23rd in three-pointers made per game at 11.9, converting just 34.1% from beyond the arc. Wiggins’ two-way profile would address both deficiencies.
Salary Mechanics and Asset Constraints Loom Large
As Scotto noted, Wiggins’ contract complicates matters. He’s earning $28.2 million this season and holds a $30 million player option for 2026-27, making him a valuable salary-matching piece should Miami pursue Antetokounmpo if he forces his way out of the Milwaukee Bucks this summer.
From the Lakers’ perspective, any deal would need to be built largely around expiring contracts. Rui Hachimura ($18.2 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) would form the financial backbone of a potential trade, though those contracts have reportedly generated limited interest across the league.
Second-year guard Dalton Knecht has also failed to build trade value amid a sharp slump in form, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic, further narrowing Los Angeles’ options.
As a result, there has been growing chatter about the Lakers exploring ways to increase their draft capital to pursue a higher-end wing, with only one of their 2031 or 2032 first-round picks currently available to trade.
“With the Lakers, the word on the street is they’re trying to package Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent together for a wing,” said Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports. “Now, the really interesting thing with them is, they’ve been shopping around their future 2032 first-round pick for multiple first-round draft picks.”
Los Angeles has previously been linked to Herb Jones, as well as Trey Murphy III, Keon Ellis, De’Andre Hunter, and Miles Bridges.
If the Lakers can successfully convert their future pick into multiple selections, it could unlock the flexibility needed to land Wiggins or another high-level wing capable of shifting their trajectory back in the right direction.