The Miami Heat figured it would be better for Andrew Wiggins to make more money up front, giving them more financial flexibility in the next two years. That's the big reason why Miami wanted Wiggins to opt in and extend his contract rather than a prototypical opt-out and re-sign.
While that was somewhat the believed idea behind such an unusual move, especially for a team that had just acquired Giannis Antetokounmpo, ESPN's Brian Windhorst finally laid it all out during a recent podcast episode.
"After acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo, he and many others expected Miami to get Andrew Wiggins to bypass his player option and sign a new multiyear deal with a lower first-year number. Instead, the Heat told Wiggins to pick up the $30M option and then gave him a two-year extension worth $34M on top — $16.15M and $17.32M — so his cap number falls roughly by half after this season."
The Heat will have more flexibility in the future because of Andrew Wiggins' decision
Taking it a step further, the combination of Wiggins and Thompson could potentially cost the Heat only $24 million next season. That's roughly half of their (projected) numbers this season (before Thompson's buyout agreement from the Dallas Mavericks.
With Bam and Giannis costing the Heat more than $100 million moving forward, Miami needed to ensure there was some salary relief on the periphery. In turn, it will also give them a little more flexibility to continue building around their star duo within the salary cap rules next season.
Of course, time will tell whether this move will actually end up making a difference or not in the long run for the Heat, but it's clear the front office is looking into the future. If they're going to build a strong (and lasting) team around Giannis, these are the type of forward-thinking moves that the Heat have to be thinking about.
While it may not have made sense at the time and brought quite the uproar from the fan base in real time, this is one of those small moves that could pay dividends next season (and further down the line).
Looking back, this is one of those moves that could end up being a win-win for both sides. Wiggins gets his $30 million payday up front, while also still getting his contract extension. On the other hand, the Heat also get their salary cap relief after this season.
At the time, this move from Wiggins may have been confusing and run counter to culture, but it's now clear there was a very strong reason behind it.
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