There have been a slew of injuries to star players throughout the NBA, including the Miami Heat. Tyler Herro is set to miss his 26th game of the season on Saturday, while Bam Adebayo is expected to miss his 8th. The list doesn't end there: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama, Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, Anthony Davis, Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards, among several others, have all had prolonged absences due to injury.
Andrew Wiggins was among the first superstar prospects of the social media era. Born in Thornhill, Ontario just north of Toronto, Wiggins was known internationally by the time he was 13. It wasn't always easy for the shy, small-town kid to embrace the spotlight. After just one full season at Vaughan, Wiggins needed better competition than Canada could provide and moved on to Huntington Prep in Huntington, West Virginia a relatively new prep school set in a small, blue-collar, sports-oriented college town near Kansas.
Wiggins, 30, will earn $28.2 million this season and holds a $30.2 million player option for 2026-27. I wouldn't have classified him as a potential purple-and-gold target before Dončić's long-term future was secured, but things are different now. So my sense is that the Lakers would have interest if the Heat, in coming weeks or months, decide to prioritize financial flexibility and look to reduce payroll.