The Miami Heat are not opposed to trading Andrew Wiggins for the right price, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. That shouldn't come as surprising as it may, but it does reveal the Heat's true feelings about the two-way forward.
And it's this simple: the Heat value Wiggins, and he's clearly played an important role for the team this season, but if the right deal does come across the table, they'd pull the trigger. And that's exactly the right move and thought process the team should have with Wiggins.
Again, Wiggins has been great this season. He's having one of the most efficient seasons of his career, averaging 17 points and five rebounds on 49 percent shooting from the field and 38 percent shooting from 3-point range. He's also one of the three best defensive players on the team, right behind Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell.
Andrew Wiggins could hit the trade block ahead of the deadline
However, he's not at the point where he's an untouchable asset for the team in the months leading up to the NBA Trade Deadline.
Even with Wiggins playing at an extremely high level, he's yet to make the type of impact that is season-altering for the Heat. And as Miami looks for that type of franchise-changing player, there's reason to believe that Wiggins could play a vital role in the Heat landing one of those players - directly or indirectly.
If the Heat is going to be in the market for a superstar ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline, they're almost certainly going to need Wiggins (and his salary) as a major part of a trade offer. If nothing else, Wiggins could probably be used to add some draft capital to help add some extra icing to a trade offer.
But even if a superstar trade opportunity doesn't emerge for the Heat, there's also a chance that they sell Wiggins off to the highest bidder. And that wouldn't be the worst idea, especially considering that Wiggins could test unrestricted free agency next offseason.
With the Heat already having to make big decisions on both Norman Powell and Tyler Herro, there's no guarantee there will be enough money to go around for a Wiggins extension (with the way the team is currently constructed).
I wouldn't say that it all but guarantees that Wiggins will be traded, but it certainly opens the door to that posisbility. And, in this case, Fischer pretty much said the quiet part out loud about Wiggins' reality with the Heat.
Despite his strong start, he could still be traded at the deadline. And, at this point, it probably shouldn't come as a surprise if he was.