When will Andrew Wiggins make his debut with the Miami Heat?
By Lior Lampert
The Miami Heat ended their futile feud with Jimmy Butler, sending the former disgruntled franchise cornerstone to the Golden State Warriors in a five-team megadeal. In exchange, Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and a protected 2025 first-round pick are headed to South Beach, along with Davion Mitchell (via the Toronto Raptors).
Barring any setbacks, Golden State's upcoming contest against the Chicago Bulls will mark Butler's Warriors debut. Meanwhile, the Heat have already played since the blockbuster swap, yet Wiggins, Anderson and Mitchell were all ruled out with "trade pending"designations. But when can we expect the trio, specifically the first of the three, to suit up for Miami?
Subscribe to The Whiteboard, FanSided’s daily email newsletter on everything basketball. If you like The Whiteboard, share it with a friend! If you don’t like it, share it with an enemy!
When will Andrew Wiggins make his debut with the Miami Heat?
Miami will introduce its new deadline additions, headlined by Wiggins, on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 9 a.m. ET. The Heat then host the Boston Celtics the following day at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the one-time All-Star reportedly intends to be available.
Andrew Wiggins hopes to make his Heat debut Monday at home against Boston, per source. That isn't finalized; it is a hope.
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 6, 2025
Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press revealed that Wiggins "hopes" to take the court when Miami faces the Celtics. However, despite the clash with Boston being the target date, the longtime NBA writer emphasizes that nothing is "finalized" yet.
With that in mind, we can safely pencil in Wiggins to join his new Heat teammates for their showdown with the Celtics. Moreover, he projects to immediately claim the spot in Miami's starting five that Butler previously occupied for the past five-plus seasons.
Wiggins reinvented himself as a two-player player who could contribute to winning at the highest level in Golden State. After fizzling out as the organizational centerpiece of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was vital to the Warriors' 2022 NBA Finals victory over the Celtics. The 2014 No. 1 overall pick was miscast as a top option before drastically improving as a shooter and embracing a 3-and-D role.
In 43 games with the Warriors this season, Wiggins averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He shot 37.9 percent from three on 5.8 nightly attempts and boasted a solid 111.1 defensive rating. His skill set should make him a seamless fit in Miami.
feed