Heat await contract decision from Andrew Wiggins that could shape offseason approach

Wiggins, who declined to speak at the Heat’s exit interviews last week, spoke privately a week earlier to the Sun Sentinel about what might come next.

“I’m not sure yet,” he said, with the Heat’s season ending last week with their play-in overtime road loss to the Charlotte Hornets. “I’m going to see what’s going on and talk to my agent. Obviously, I love Miami.”

Should Wiggins opt in, the extension window would remain open in the offseason, allowing the Heat to get a better read on Wiggins’ role going forward.

While Wiggins closed the season as he started at small forward, he also spent considerable time this past season as an undersized power forward when Kel’el Ware was out of the lineup. According to Basketball Reference’s play-by-play breakdown, Wiggins, at 6 feet 7, 210 pounds, was cast at power forward 35% of his minutes this past season, small forward 49% and shooting guard 16%.

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Going forward, if coach Erik Spoelstra in the void of a major trade stays with a bigger lineup featuring Ware at center and Bam Adebayo at power forward, the Heat would have other, younger potential options to start at small forward such as Pelle Larsson, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Myron Gardner or a player from the first round of June’s NBA draft.

As it is, Wiggins arguably is coming off the best shooting season of his career, his .784 from the foul line and .414 on 3-pointers by career highs, with his .475 from the field just two percentage points off his career best.

As for the salary math, for Wiggins it could come down to 2026-27 salary or years on a contract. A Heat extension could potentially replace the option year at a lower figure, with additional years to follow, or even be tacked onto the option year at lower numbers going forward.

Whether Wiggins could get more than this $30.2 million Heat 2026-27 option in free agency is questionable. While the Washington Wizards, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets potentially could have such cap space available, each is in the midst of a rebuild, with the focus on young talent.

Asked about years vs. 2026-27 salary, Wiggins politely demurred.

“I haven’t really thought about it too much, to be honest,” he said. “I’ll probably become more engaged with it when the time comes. But I love Miami, and I’m happy here.”

Still, though, with ample confidence to contribute at a high level, his season ending with a 27-point performance in the loss to the Hornets.

“I wouldn’t mind betting on myself.” he said. “I always believe in myself and what I can do. That’s all I need to know.”