3 ‘Bad contracts’ the Heat could trade for, including Warriors star
By Max Marshall
With enough nurturing, better coaching and a more ideal situation, sometimes a player’s “bad contract” can become a good one. Here are three players the Miami Heat could trade for whose value could be worth restoring.
Andrew Wiggins, forward, Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are in a similar position as the Miami Heat. Golden State has had a longer run with their core guys than Miami. But both teams have to decide if they want to part ways with guys who have been crucial to their teams.
Andrew Wiggins has had an up-and-down career. Wiggins hasn’t been the same player since the 2022 finals and still has three years left on his contract worth $84 million. Wiggins has all the tools to be a high-level wing in the league and has shown it in spurts.
Inconsistent play has been the story of Wiggins’ career. Wiggins struggled this past season, posting career lows in points (13.2), assists (1.7), steals (0.6), and field goals made per game (5.0). Wiggins had some off-the-court issues as well.
But maybe Wiggins is due for a bounce-back season. Miami needs size on the team, and Wiggins would provide that. At 6-foot-8, he can play either forward position and would add much-needed athleticism to Miami’s rotation. Wiggins might not fit Heat Culture, but it may be what Wiggins needs for a bounce-back season.
Heat Notes: D. Robinson, Butler, Draft, CBA
After a down year in 2022/23, Duncan Robinson enjoyed perhaps his best season as a pro in ’23/24. The Heat forward boosted his scoring average from 6.4 to 12.9 points per game, made 39.5% of his three-pointers, and handed out a career-high 2.8 assists per contest.
As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscription required) writes, Robinson’s five-year, $90MM contract once looked like an albatross that the Heat would have trouble moving. But with just two years left on the deal (at $19.4MM and a partially guaranteed $19.9MM), Winderman suggests that Robinson looks like a reasonable investment — especially since he believes, after turning 30 last month, that he still has room to improve.
“I just turned 30, which is crazy,” Robinson said. “But what might even be crazier is I still think I’m far from a finished product. And maybe people say 28 to whatever is your prime, but I feel like prime is still ahead of me, so we’ll see.
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