The Miami Heat entered the 2023 NBA draft with the No. 18 pick and exited it with a full-fledged building block.
That's how things initially appeared, at least, when Jaime Jaquez Jr. wasted no time cementing himself as a rotation-regular and eventually snagging a spot on the All-Rookie first-team.
Whatever sparked him through that head-turning debut never ignited during his follow-up, though. The sequel paled in comparison to the original, as Jaquez fell so far he was dropped from the rotation entirely and handled only mop-up duty during Miami's brief playoff run.
Heat fans are surely hoping for a turnaround, but Miami's decision-makers must approach this situation with more than crossed-fingers and memories of what was. Because one more disappointing season might be all it takes to torpedo Jaquez's trade value entirely.
The clock is already ticking on a Jaquez trade.
With fascinating trade possibilities ahead of the Heat this summer, including a few far-fetched options, the front office should have ears wide open to any and all offers for Jaquez.
Sure, his trade stock may have reached an all-time low, but it should be more than nothing. That may not be the case if Miami waited to revisit this topic next summer. Remember, Jaquez entered the NBA as an older prospect—he's already 24, or one year younger than Tyler Herro—so he doesn't get the growing-pains protection typically afforded to someone coming off their sophomore season.
Jaquez's appeal has always been tied to what he can provide right now, not what he could potentially become years down the road. And while he provided plenty as a rookie (11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 28.2 minutes per outing), potential trade partners will be more focused on what he didn't provide this past season.
Or the fact that maybe he won't provide any more going forward.
That's a harsh assessment, obviously, and he has more skills than this past season's statistics would suggest. Then again, he's not particularly athletic, nor some net-shredder from distance (career 31.8 percent from three), so you can see how the problems that plagued him during the 2024-25 campaign could continue rearing their ugly head moving forward.
If he's going to shrink the floor—and his shooting to date suggests he will (he converted just 32.8 percent of his long-range looks in college)—then he needs to convince would-be suitors that he has enough to offer in other areas to offset that weakness. Where is the standout skill to send that message?
He's a solid processor, but he's not some elite table-setter. He has good footwork, but he's not running circles around anyone. He has the makings of a connector, but again those spacing problems kind of throw a wrench into his offense's game plan.
He isn't hopeless, but there are reasons to worry that one summer in the lab won't correct the issues that surfaced repeatedly during his sophomore season. Assuming those reasons haven't scared off suitors entirely, Miami might want to cash in this trade chip now and avoid the risk of Jaquez's stock completely bottoming out.