“It’s time for a new chapter.“, is what Andrew Wiggins said when he arrived in Miami, following a blockbuster trade that saw a disgruntled superstar Jimmy Butler move to San Francisco. Well, since then, the two former Minnesota teammates have followed extremely different trajectories with their new teams. While Jimmy Butler and the Golden State Warriors are cruising, Andrew Wiggins and the Heat are still finding their footing. It hasn’t been the easiest transition to make for Wiggins, especially since the move came halfway through the 2024-25 season.
The Heat are 4-11 since Wiggins arrived in South Florida, and that’s quite painful. Even more so, if you see the 12-1 record the Warriors have posted with Jimmy Butler in their ranks. Heat are fighting for a play-in spot that seemed like an easy task until the Butler trade. They now find themselves in a precarious position, as any other slip-ups could potentially be disastrous for Pat Riley’s team. But, how have the Heat ended up in a situation like this? Well, to put it simply, they haven’t been lacking the killer instinct. They’ve struggled to hold leads and finish games, which is a major reason for their struggles. Especially, new acquisition Andrew Wiggins has found life in Miami pretty hard.
Discussing about Miami’s recent adversities as they find themselves in a four-game skid. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on his podcast ‘Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective‘ pointed out Wiggins’ shortcomings. “They now have Andrew Wiggins. And it’s been a rough transition for Andrew Wiggins in Miami. The shooting numbers aren’t pretty. That rating is negative 9.9. Is that good? For a hundred possessions. ” As Windhorst and his guests, journalist Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon pinpointed Wiggins’ lackluster stats. They’re right! The 30-year-old forward hasn’t quite been able to fill in for Jimmy Butler, or anyone for a matter of fact.
While he’s averaging 18.5 points, it’s his shooting numbers that aren’t very pretty. Wiggins is shooting 40.8 percent from the field, which is a massive downfall from his career average of 44.9 percent. Moreover, his shooting percentage from beyond the arc has also fallen. He’s currently shooting 31.3 percent of his shots from the deep. That’s also quite less when compared to his career average of 35.6 percent. So, it is crystal clear that Andrew Wiggins hasn’t been able to perform at the level expected from him so far. But, Pat Riley and Miami’s worries don’t just end here. By making this trade they have potentially risked a chance to get out of this slump. Why? You might wonder.
Storm brewing for Pat Riley and the Heat
The Miami Heat have been somewhat of a solid play-in team over the past few seasons. They wanted to move up a notch, and that’s why they didn’t offer Jimmy Butler the contract that he wanted. Hence, triggering the ugly transfer saga, we all witnessed over the trade window. However, after shipping Butler, Pat Riley and Co. expected things to get better. Well, unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. On the contrary, it’s been the exact opposite. They don’t even look like a threatening play-in team at the moment.
Dec 10, 2022; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat team president Pat Riley looks on during the first half of a game against the San Antonio Spurs at FTX Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports.
While this means they’ll have a potential lottery pick, there’s a serious issue that awaits Miami. “The bad news is the lottery-protected pick that they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes an unprotected pick that they owe the Oklahoma City Thunder every year.” Windhorst and his guests suggested on their podcast. Miami owes their first-round pick from the 2025 draft to OKC if it falls between the 15th and 30th pick. Otherwise, the Heat will have to send their 2026 pick unprotected pick the Thunder’s way. Well, that’s not all the trouble the Heat could face. They also owe a protected first-round pick to Charlotte from the Terry Rozier deal.
This means, “It’s about going from having two lottery-protected firsts to having two totally unprotected firsts out. And that is a scary situation to be in as a team because then if you do have a bad year, either of those years, you have no recourse to get out of. ” Overall, Pat Riley and the Heat are in a tough spot for the next couple of seasons. That’s because even if they have a bad season, they won’t have a first-round pick to potentially bail them out of the mess. By the looks of it, the Butler trade might just have been a massive blow for Miami’s plans. Well, only time will tell, how this and the next seasons pan out for Miami, amid this draft threat.
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