3 for 1 deal? How feasible is Wiggins joining the Lakers?

Discussions about Wiggins joining the Lakers have appeared again.

Recently, & reporter Cem Yolbulan, a podcast host at Los Angeles Sports Center, said that the Lakers should trade Wiggins.

The host & reporter said: "(If you join the Lakers) Wiggins can become the best outside defender immediately. He can take on the difficult defensive tasks every night. He also has the three-pointers and defensive skills that the Lakers need, and when holding the ball, Wiggins can do much more than ordinary three-point shooters."

It should be said that this is not the first time Wiggins has been hooked up with the Lakers this summer.

Previously, in early August, NBA reporter Jason Timpf also said on a podcast that if the Lakers get Wiggins, they can directly transform from a playoff team into a real championship contender.

At that time, Jason Timpf said: "A Wiggins deal can immediately make the Lakers a top championship team, and he will immediately meet the team's needs on the athletic and defensive end."

From the end of June to the beginning of July, ClutchPoints' Lakers reporter Anthony Irwin reported many times that the Lakers are indeed negotiating trades with the Heat about Wiggins. The news at that time was that the Lakers were visiting Wiggins and the negotiations were also progressing. The Heat were interested in Hachimura and hoped to get Kneckett.

After that, former Lakers reporter Jovan Buha exposed the Heat's requirements: "The news I heard is that the Heat have been asking for a first-round pick and Knector. I think they also want to get Hachimura because they want to stay competitive."

In response, another Lakers reporter Harrison Faigen's attitude is: "It's better to have a bad deal than a bad deal. If getting Wiggins means you have to give the only starter like the first-round pick, potential rookies Kennector and Hachimura, then you should end the conversation politely."

Here, you might as well look at Wiggins' situation.

Wigkins signed a four-year, 109 million yuan contract renewal after helping the Warriors win the championship in 2022. The contract has two years left, with salary of 28.22 million and 30.17 million respectively. He will become a free agent in the summer of 2027.

Last season, Wiggins was sent to the Heat by the Warriors in Butler's trade. His performance before and after the trade:

-Before the trade, he averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, 44.4%/37.9%/77.7% of the three events, and 56.6% of the real shooting percentage, 56.6% of the three events, after the trade, he averaged 19.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, 45.8%/36.0%/73.1% of the three events, and 56.6% of the real shooting percentage, 56.6% of the real shooting percentage, 2}

The biggest feature of Wiggins is stability. Whether in the Warriors or the Heat, he can provide 16-18 points in every game. When he is in good condition, he can even 30+ and 40+ in a single game. For example, after joining the Heat, Wiggins scored 42 points in a single game. On the defensive end, Wiggins' performance is also very reliable, able to defend multiple positions, and his defensive ability in key games has also been proven. In 2022, the Warriors can defeat the Celtics in the finals, Wiggins' defense against Tatum is an indelible contribution.

Of course, there are also disadvantages. On the offensive end, although Wiggins' output is stable, the overall efficiency is not high. The real shooting rate in the best season of his career has not exceeded 57%.

And in the critical game, you can't expect Wiggins to take on the offensive banner. For example, in the four games of the Heat's playoffs against the Cavaliers, Wiggins only scored 14 points, 10 points, 10 points and 12 points, averaging 11.5 points and a real shooting percentage of 48.5%.

Defensive end, although Wiggins has proved himself, he is not aggressive and has a lot to do with concentration - Wiggins is regarded as one of the best offensive and defensive front lines in the league after helping the Warriors win the championship, but looking at his entire career, except in 2022, he actually has not had a year of defensive DBPM to be positive (2022 happens to be +0.1).

Compared with Hachimura, Wiggins' defense is definitely better, and its characteristics can be complementary to James - the defensive focus of James and Hachimura is a bit similar, and both are more suitable for heavy duty third or fourth positions.

However, Wiggins' shooting is not as good as Hachimura, whose shooting level has reached its best in his career in the past two years. Last season, he averaged 13.1 points per game, a three-point shooting percentage of 41.3%, and a real shooting percentage of 61.9%. In terms of adaptability, I personally think that Wiggins is more suitable for the Lakers than Hachimura. The main reason is that Doncic, Reeves, and James do need players who can defend, especially Doncic. Compared with the 2024 Mavericks lineup, Wiggins can play a role similar to PJ Washington.

Look at the Lakers, it is indeed possible to get Wiggins, but...

The Lakers can trade only one first round (2031 or 2032) and one second round. In addition, the Lakers have 5 first round swap rights (2026, 2028, 2030, 2031, 2032).

According to previous news, the Lakers' goal is to make room in 2026 and 2027, and then use salary space to attract another superstar to join, or use multiple first rounds to trade to get another star - Wiggins is in line with the former and not the latter.

Pure personal point of view, Hachimura is indeed likely to be traded, because of the joining of Laravia and Ayton, his role in the Lakers will be much lower next season, and he is in the contract year. The Lakers have not renewed his contract with him for a long time, so the probability of trading is very high..

Kneckett needs to be said, any Lakers' trade may send him away. The only problem is draft assets. It is definitely not worth it to make a first-round pick (or the only one). Unless -

If the Lakers perform unexpectedly outstanding performance next season and truly enter the championship ranks, then the Lakers are really likely to use the only first round to get an offensive and defensive player like Wiggins. Part of the success of the Mavericks in 2024 is because of the PJ Washington transaction, when the Mavericks also gave a first round.

In summary, Wiggins is indeed quite suitable for the Lakers, but the chips in the first round of Hachimura + Knector + 1 are not worth it. It is impossible to have a deal this summer, but it is indeed possible in February next year. Do you think the Lakers should chase Wiggins?