The Los Angeles Lakers have dedicated their offseason to addressing some of the glaring deficiencies that cut last season’s playoff run short and locking down superstar Luka Doncic long term.
With Doncic secured and the new roster already shaping up, they still may be a move or two away from being true contenders in the tight Western Conference.
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This latest trade idea from Bleacher Report’s NBA insider Eric Pincus has the purple and gold landing Andrew Wiggins from the Miami Heat in what would be a blockbuster three-team deal that includes the Brooklyn Nets.
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
The full trade has the Lakers landing Wiggins and Jaime Jaquez Jr. from the Heat in addition to power forward Drew Timme from Brooklyn. The Heat would acquire Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht from LA in addition to the $10 million trade exception they get from dealing Wiggins. The Nets wind up with Maxi Kleber and $2 million from the Lakers and a 2026 protected second-round pick from Miami.
The Lakers have reportedly been prioritizing their cap room for the 2026 offseason, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, so a trade for Wiggins’ $28.2 million salary this season (with a $30.2 million player option next season) makes this move make sense. Additionally, the Lakers could benefit from an upgrade at the wing position, adding a scorer in the former No. 1 overall pick.
Wiggins is coming off an 18.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game season, shooting a 52.6 percent effective field goal percentage (which accounts for the value difference in two and 3-pointers) across his time with the Golden State Warriors and the Heat.
Jaquez is coming off a down season, but perhaps he can relive the magic of his years at UCLA back in Los Angeles. Timme had a promising season in the G League last year, but with just nine NBA appearances to his name, he would likely get more use on the Lakers, adding depth to the bottom of the roster.
Miami gets the already once-dealt Knecht, a 24-year-old sharpshooter coming off a 46.1 percent shooting season from the field, and Hachimura is coming off a 59.7 percent eFG percentage, averaging 13.1 points and five rebounds per game last year.
Brooklyn really only signs onto the would-be deal as the league minimum for each team to spend by opening night is $139.2 million, and the Nets are at $138.8 million.
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