"If the Miami Heat care deeply about the on-court results this coming season, Andrew Wiggins will be mission critical to all they do. But if acquiring another star remains their endgame, he holds more value to them as a trade chip-specifically as an asset who returns a first-round pick, and maybe more. "Isn't that what cap space should be for?" will be the common refrain here. The Heat could have over $30 million in spending power next summer,"
"Here's the thing: All of these projections include a world in which Wiggins is no longer on the team. Next summer's flexibility, in particular, is predicated on him declining his player option, and Miami not bringing him back. Oh, and here's the other thing: Stars are not changing teams in free agency. Not anymore. Marquee names now relocate via trades. Landing them requires building godfather offers teeming with draft picks."
Andrew Wiggins can provide immediate on-court value for the Miami Heat this season, but his greater strategic value may be as a trade asset that yields first-round picks. The team's projected cap flexibility next summer and in 2027 depends on Wiggins declining his player option and leaving. Superstar movement now occurs mainly via trades, which requires packages heavy with future first-rounders. Miami currently owes a 2027 first-rounder with lottery protection and can include only two outright first-rounders, limiting its competitiveness. Next summer the Heat could potentially offer up to four first-rounders, improving trade appeal.
Read at All U Can Heat
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