The Miami Heat knew acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo would come at a steep price.
For Jaime Jaquez Jr., that price meant leaving the only NBA organization he had ever known.
Speaking with the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, the former Heat first-round pick acknowledged for the first time how difficult it was to be included in the blockbuster trade that sent him to the Milwaukee Bucks.
“It was definitely devastating for sure,” Jaquez told Winderman. “I love Miami. I love this city. It really felt like home to me.”
Jaquez was one of four players Miami shipped to Milwaukee—along with Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware and rookie Kasparas Jakucionis—in the franchise-altering deal that brought Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to South Florida.
While the trade immediately elevated the Heat back into the championship conversation, it also ended Jaquez’s three-year tenure with the organization that drafted him with the No. 18 overall pick in 2023.
Jaquez Leaves Miami After Productive Three-Year Run
Getty The Miami Heat included Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the trade package to acquire two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Jaquez quietly developed into one of Miami’s most dependable young players.
He earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors as a rookie before appearing in 216 regular-season games for the Heat, making 56 starts while averaging 12.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 28.5 minutes per game. He shot 49.1% from the field during his Miami career and established himself as one of Erik Spoelstra’s most versatile two-way wings.
Last season, Jaquez posted career highs across the board, averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists while shooting 55.3% from the floor in 83 games. His breakout campaign earned him runner-up honors in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Those steady contributions ultimately made him one of Miami’s most valuable trade assets.
Former Heat Forward Confirmed Viral Reaction Was Authentic
One of the defining images from the trade surfaced only minutes after news of the deal broke.
A viral social media video showed Jaquez learning about the blockbuster while playing pickup basketball at an LA Fitness in California.
Jaquez confirmed to Winderman that the reaction captured in the clip was genuine.
“That was a real video,” Jaquez said.
Although he admitted he sensed a trade was possible, Jaquez said the reality of leaving Miami still caught him emotionally.
“I had a feeling,” Jaquez told Winderman. “I knew that it was definitely a possibility that it was going to happen. But you’re never truly prepared for when it does.”
Milwaukee Could Offer a Bigger Opportunity
The trade also may provide Jaquez with his clearest path yet to a full-time starting role.
While he became one of Spoelstra’s most trusted rotation players in Miami, much of his success came as the leader of the Heat’s second unit.
Milwaukee’s roster presents a different opportunity.
After sending Antetokounmpo and Portis to Miami and reshaping much of its frontcourt and wing rotation this offseason, the Bucks enter training camp with minutes available on the wing, giving Jaquez a realistic chance to compete for a starting job.
The move also comes at an important point in his career.
Eligible for a rookie-scale contract extension this offseason, Jaquez told Winderman he is focused on settling into his new organization rather than thinking about negotiations.
“We’ll see what happens when it comes,” Jaquez said. “Right now, we’re in Vegas trying to just get acclimated with everyone, meet all the coaches, meet all the staff.”
For Miami, moving Jaquez was part of the cost of acquiring one of the NBA’s most dominant players.
For Jaquez, the trade closed a meaningful chapter but also opened perhaps the biggest basketball opportunity of his career.
Instead of continuing as one of the Heat’s premier reserves, the 25-year-old now enters the season with a legitimate chance to establish himself as a full-time starter for the Bucks while proving that the franchise acquired more than just a secondary piece in the Giannis blockbuster.
Former Heat First-Round Pick Breaks Silence on Giannis Trade