MIAMI \u2014 The consummate supporting player when playing at his best, Andrew Wiggins this offseason \u2014 at least at the start of it \u2014 arguably stands as a Miami Heat leading man.<\/p>\n
When it comes to the direction of where Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg and the rest of the Heat front office take this next<\/a>, the veteran forward currently holds the greatest sway of any player on the season-ending roster.<\/p>\n Three widely divergent possibilities are at play with the 31-year-old former championship and All-Star forward.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0He has a June 29 deadline to pick up a $30.2 million player option for next season.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0He can bypass that option and enter free agency on July 1.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0He has until June 30 to work out an extension that can be valued at up to $177 million over four seasons.<\/p>\n In each case, the impact would be significant.<\/p>\n If the option is picked up, Wiggins would become available in a trade, his $28.2 million salary from the current cap season immediately allowed to be put into a transaction.<\/p>\n By contrast, if the option is bypassed, it would remove a trade-balancing salary-cap tool from what already is a limited such arsenal, considering Terry Rozier\u2019s $26.6 million is off the team\u2019s books, unlike at the February NBA trading deadline.<\/p>\n With Wiggins\u2019 money on the books, it would make it easier for the Heat to match salaries for a potential swing for the fences should opportunities arise for the likes of a Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a>, Kawhi Leonard, Ja Morant or another potential direction-altering trade acquisition.<\/p>\n As for the salary and even the extension, the question becomes whether the greater benefit would be his continued presence on the roster as opposed to the Heat otherwise standing as much as $63 million below the 2026-27 luxury tax.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the decision on the option solely stands with Wiggins, a potential 2026-27 cap hit the Heat accepted with the Feb. 2025 trade of Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors (Butler is due $56.8 million next season from the Warriors, as he recovers from January\u2019s torn ACL).<\/p>\n Wiggins, who declined to speak at the Heat\u2019s exit interviews last week, spoke privately a week earlier to the South Florida Sun Sentinel about what might come next.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure yet,\u201d he said, with the Heat\u2019s season ending last week with their play-in overtime road loss to the Charlotte Hornets. \u201cI\u2019m going to see what\u2019s going on and talk to my agent. Obviously, I love Miami.\u201d<\/p>\n Should Wiggins opt in, the extension window would remain open in the offseason, allowing the Heat to get a better read on Wiggins\u2019 role going forward.<\/p>\n