Who is Andrew Wiggins? Meet The Miami Heat’s New Starting Forward

The blockbuster deal involving Jimmy Butler shook up the league late Wednesday night.

The package received by the Miami Heat is led by Andrew Wiggins. He will presumably start alongside Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo as the Heat fight for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Wiggins was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 NBA Draft. However, his draft rights were immediately traded to Minnesota for Kevin Love. Love is coincidentally now his teammate in Miami. In Minnesota, Wiggins won the Rookie of the Year award. The Timberwolves drafted Karl-Anthony Towns the next season, with the two creating a new youth movement in Minnesota.

Midway through his Minnesota tenture, the Timberwolves traded for Jimmy Butler. Butler’s season-and-a-half tenure ended with a public outburst at a practice. He called out Wiggins and Towns for not doing enough for the organization. Butler would be traded to the Philadelphia 76ers that season.

The Timberwolves sat in mediocrity behind Wiggins and Towns, although the two young stars were viewed as bright spots. Minnesota wanted to shake things up, leading them to trade Wiggins to the Golden State Warriors in Feb. 2020 for a package centered around D’Angelo Russell.

In Golden State, Wiggins boosted his game to the next level playing alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. In 2022, Wiggins had a career-defining season. He earned his first All-Star nod while helping lead the team to a championship against the Boston Celtics.

He signed an extension following the 2022 season. On his current contract, Wiggins hasn’t played as well as he did that season. However, he was a vital piece to the Warriors rotation. This season, Wiggins is averaging 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

Turning 30 later this month, Wiggins is in his prime. He could play a strong role in helping the Heat secure their first championship since 2013.

MIAMI HEAT TRADE JIMMY BUTLER TO GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

After weeks of nonstop speculation, the Heat are set to trade Butler before Thursday’s deadline. He is expected to land with the Golden State Warriors according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The Heat receive Andrew Wiggins, PJ Tucker, Kyle Anderson and a protected first-round pick in a projected five-team deal.

The six-time All-Star requested a trade Jan. 2 amid a lingering feud with Heat president Pat Riley.

Miami suspended Butler three times for misconduct in January, including missing a team flight and walking out of practice. He has been away from the team since.

Butler will now team with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, a pair of future NBA Hall of Famers.

During his six-year tenure with the Heat, Butler led them to the NBA Finals twice. In 2020, his first season, the Heat lost to LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers. In 2023, they fell to Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

Despite the problems, he had one of the most successful tenures of any Heat players. Some have placed him among the likes of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. The only thing missing was that elusive title, which Butler failed to accomplish.

While his exit wasn’t pretty, Butler will have a lasting legacy in Miami.

BUTLER SIGNS EXTENSION WITH GOLDEN STATE

The Miami Heat were not going to deal veteran star Jimmy Butler to the Phoenix Suns simply because that’s where he desired to be.

Butler held leverage due to his player-option this offseason, but the reality is a no-trade clause is the only aspect that could’ve given the six-time All-Star serious control over his future. Because of this, the Heat found a respectable return from the Golden State Warriors.

Many of the immediate reactions to the Warriors’ blockbuster move was questioning if Butler would extend with Golden State after his reported Suns-only stance. It didn’t take long to silence those critics, as Butler is inking a huge two-year, $121 million contract extension with the organization, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

“New Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler has agreed to a new two-year, $121 million extension with the franchise through 2026-27, sources tell me and . Butler is declining his 2025-26 player option for this new $121M deal,” Charania posted.

The idea that Butler would likely sign an extension with only Phoenix came from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

“The thing to understand about Butler is that there’s nothing he wants to hear right now that doesn’t include getting him to the Suns,” Windhorst said on SportsCenter. “That is the only thing he’s focused on. Honestly, I don’t think you could offer him any amount of money or any role on any team and hear he’s like, yup, I’ll get on the plane and let’s go.”

It’s clear the Warriors intend to win another title with superstar Stephen Curry in the next three years before Butler’s contract runs out and he potentially retires.

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

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