When the Miami Heat decided to ship out Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, championship expectations quickly vanished. As the headliner in the trade return, Andrew Wiggins has already had a rocky start to his Heat tenure.
Despite looking like an impactful two-way addition at first, Wiggins has appeared in just six of his first 12 games with Miami.
He has dealt with inconsistency both on and off the court, with a recent ankle injury sideling him for an extended period as of late. But the problem is that the Heat are missing that extra boost in the lineup as the losses keep piling up in the midst of a playoff push.
The Minnesota Timberwolves stepped into the Kaseya Center on Friday night and squeaked by with a 106-104 victory. Just after the Heat picked up their first back-to-back wins in a while, they have now lost three of their last four games.
And although Miami still remains as the Eastern Conference’s seventh seed play-in team, it is not enough. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro’s strong performances were missing the help from the rest of the rotation to supplement them.
Bam Adebayo in his last 6 games:
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) March 8, 2025
29 PTS - 13 REB - 4 AST
34 PTS - 12 REB - 5 AST
19 PTS - 15 REB - 5 AST
30 PTS - 7 REB - 4 AST
18 PTS - 7 REB - 7 AST
20 PTS - 9 REB - 3 AST
Carrying the offense while anchoring an entire defense, get this man some help this summer. pic.twitter.com/ffgMd7wWVW
Duncan Robinson was the team’s third leading scorer with 15 points. But outside of his contributions, nobody else in the rest of the Heat rotation cracked double-digits in points.
That’s where Wiggins’ near 18 points average would have been much needed in a close game like this. Unfortunately, his new Heat partnership has already begun on shaky terms.
The Heat dealt with availability issues throughout Butler’s entire six-year tenure with the organization. Even when he is out of picture, the team still has to deal with those same problems— this time from a different number 22 repping the jersey.
In what has seemed like a lost season at this point, there will still be chances to bring in the real necessary reinforcements this upcoming summer. According to recent rumors, Miami is one of few teams expected to pursue Kevin Durant, who will arguably be the hottest name on the market.
The franchise has the elite coaching, stability and already established stars in Adebayo and Herro to position themselves for a major shakeup. This group led by that duo has already showcased what they are capable of in recent playoff runs, granted they have a true number one option to help lead them in big moments.
Durant fits every hole on this roster, and could provide the Heat with real superstar support and another championship contending window.