While it's maybe not the most important plot point of the Miami Heat's 2025-26 NBA season, Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s recovery from a rough sophomore campaign is a huge reason why this club keeps pushing its way higher up the hoops world's hierarchy. He's been a hand-in-glove fit for this new offensive approach, and he has seemingly elevated every part of his inside-the-arc game.
That's great news for his locker room mates and fans of this team. It's not quite as fun, though, for members of Miami's front office, which suddenly has a perpetually growing—and wholly unexpected—cost that must be factored in the budget.
Heat must extend Jaquez, even though it will be a costly contract.
With the Heat having reached the first quarter of the campaign, sustainability questions surrounding Jaquez should be mostly forgotten. He'll have to keep all of this up, obviously, but it sure looks like he has the skills, smarts, and drive to do it.
This version of Jaquez, which is sort of like a turbo-charged depiction of his 2023-24 All-Rookie first-team form, is clearly worth keeping around. It'd be awesome if he ever added an outside shot, sure, but even without one, he can grease the offensive gears with his willingness to run, downhill attacking, and penchant for passing.
It's all added up to some of the best production in the business, and that's not at all conveyed in hyperbolic fashion. He is one of only 13 players—almost all household names—averaging at least 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, per StatHead Basketball. He's also the league's only player hitting those marks while getting fewer than 30 minutes per game.
And these numbers matter, too. A lot. When he's on the floor, the Heat are shredding opponents by 10.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com. When he's not, they're getting outscored by 2.8 points per 100 possessions. For context, the former would be the league's third-best, while the latter would land at 20th.
So, just to highlight, underline, and drive this point home in the clearest possible fashion again, the Heat should absolutely, unequivocally want to keep him around as long as they can. It'll just take a more expensive investment than they would've ever imagined.
The good news is the receipt on this improvement won't come due for a while. He'll be extension-eligible next offseason, but he'll earn $3.9 million this season and $5.9 million for 2026-27 regardless of how those extension talks go. Relatively speaking, he'll be an incredible bargain for the duration of this deal.
As for the next one, though, it's anyone's guess how high it could climb. He has enough flaws (namely, defense and distance shooting) that he won't be simply handed a blank check, but it'll still take something significant to get his signature. And whatever that amount is, it's seemingly rising every time he hits the hardwood.