The LA Lakers are in the market for a center to bolster their new tandem of LeBron James and Luka Doncic. However, that’s not it. The Purple and Gold are also looking at options at the wing spots, primarily for top-of-the-line two-way players who can guard one through three.
The Lakers have too many players who can guard the power forward position in Doncic, James and Rui Hachimura, so they are overspending on one position as things stand. With limited assets at their disposal, the Lakers don’t have much to choose from.
However, Lakers insider Jovan Buha considers Steph Curry’s 2022 championship-winning teammate, Andrew Wiggins, as a ‘realistic’ option to fill one of the biggest holes on the roster. Here’s what Buha said on Saturday on his show, “Buha’s Block”:
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"Looking at the current market, (Nicolas) Claxton and Wiggins are probably the best realistic players the Lakers could get for each of their two big holes."
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"Looking at the current market, (Nicolas) Claxton and Wiggins are probably the best realistic players the Lakers could get for each of their two big holes."
Wiggins was traded to the Heat in the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade at the 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. He was arguably the best two-way player on Golden State since 2021. While Curry was the unanimous pick to win the 2022 finals MVP, Wiggins got some consideration after doing a phenomenal job against Jayson Tatum on defense.
Lakers Trade Rumors: Rob Pelinka Can Pursue Andrew Wiggins in Potential Kevin Durant Deal
The Lakers can engage in an Andrew Wiggins trade in multiple ways. One of them would be to get involved in a Miami Heat-Phoenix Suns deal for Kevin Durant. According to Shams Charania, the Heat are one of Durant's preferred landing spots.
LA has multiple expiring contracts, which hold significant value in trade discussions. For a team like Phoenix, shedding salary rather than taking back long-term deals in the Durant trade makes sense unless it's a highly coveted player.
The Heat potentially don't have such contracts at their disposal, but the Lakers do. The basic framework of the trade would be centered around Durant going to Miami, Rui Hachimura to the Suns and Andrew Wiggins to the Lakers.
The additional salary fillers to make the math work would be Gabe Vincent, Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr., also going to the Suns, along with the 2026 first-round pick swap via LA and 2025 first-round pick (#20) from the Heat.
The Suns land an exceptional plug-and-play role player like Hachimura on a one-year rental. They can extend him or trade him at the deadline, and Gabe Vincent, whom they can use as a backup point guard. Vincent has been up and down in LA, but on his day, he can turn into one of the best bench players in the league.
Both have immense playoff experience, too. Hachimura has been the Lakers' best 3-point shooter in the postseason since 2023, and Vincent is an NBA finalist with Miami.
If the Durant trade doesn't materialize and he heads elsewhere, the Heat and Lakers can engage in a direct swap with Hachimura, Vincent, or Kleber, one pick swap and the 55th pick going to Miami and Wiggins heading to LA.
Also read: $131,000,000 forward 'untouchable' in Kevin Durant negotiations
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