Jaime Jaquez Jr. didn't end up winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, but that won't take away from the developmental strides he made this year with the Miami Heat. And over the course of the next few months, we're going to find out how much his breakout season will change things for the Heat and Jaquez Jr. moving forward
With just one more season left on his rookie contract, the Heat will have the option to sign him to an early extension this summer. If they don't, he'll be on a collision course to restricted free agency next offseason.
In a vacuum, historically, an extension would get done between the two sides. But for a Heat that faces much uncertainty (and scrutiny) heading into the summer, I'm not sure it's that open and shut of a case.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. deserves an extension, but the Heat have a lot to figure out
Jaquez Jr. has done enough to warrant the negotiation of a new contract, but there are so many complexities for the Heat that it may not get done.
For one, the disaster of an extension that the Heat gave Nikola Jovic last summer adds another layer of difficulty for these discussions. Can the Heat afford to make another mistake by giving out a premature extension? Absolutely not.
That's why the Heat may be overly apprehensive to come to terms on an extension with Jaquez Jr. That may not be entirely fair for Jaquez Jr., especially after the season he just had, but that's the reality of the current situation.
The Heat could view Jaime Jaquez Jr. as a trade asset
Apart from those concerns, the biggest priority this offseason for the Heat will revolve around significantly improving the roster via trade. They're going to be big-game hunting, and the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, and Ja Morant could be atop their list of possible trade targets.
The honest truth is that if Miami is going to accomplish that, there's at least an outside chance that Jaquez Jr. factors into that to a certain extent. Even though it's not a fregone conclusion, it'd be foolish to think otherwise.
And especially after the season he had, Jaquez Jr. could be viewed as an intriguing trade asset across the league. He's still on his rookie deal and if he's traded during the summer, any team that acquires him would have the option to extend him before the rookie-scale extension deadline, or let him prove himself by playing out the season.
The question is, how does the Heat truly feel about Jaquez Jr.?
Do they feel he's become a key building block of the future, and one that warrants an extension now? Or will they use this breakout season for Jaquez Jr. as a piece to reach their goal of trading for a star player?
While it may be difficult to predict that right now, that won't be the case in a few months. For better or worse, the Heat are going to reveal exactly how they feel about Jaquez Jr. this offseason.
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