Shortly after his notorious "lost my joy" press conference, which in many ways signaled the end of his time in Miami, Jaime Jaquez Jr. did everything he could to keep Jimmy Butler bought in with the Heat. In an interview with Zach Lowe, it was revealed that Jaquez Jr. called Jimmy that night to try to salvage what he could.
In the end, though, Jimmy had made up his mind and wanted out of Miami. I'm sure Jimmy appreciated Jaquez Jr. reaching out, but he was ready to move on.
The Heat would eventually trade Jimmy to the Golden State Warriors, but it's still an interesting "what if" that continues to be in the back of the mind for many fans.
The Heat, Jimmy Butler still haven't found their footing
Fast forward a little more than one year, and both the Heat and Jimmy find themselves in difficult situations. Jimmy suffered a significant knee injury and faces a long road to recovery. Even when he was healthy, though, the Jimmy fit on the Warriors was still a little wonky. At the very least, there was still work to be done.
The Heat, meanwhile, continue to drift in mediocrity, with little hope for the future and no clear franchise star on the roster.
In some ways, it does seem as if both have missed each other more than they're willing to let on.
But that could very well be part of the reason why a player like Jaquez Jr. was willing to go to certain lengths to try and keep Jimmy in Miami. Sure, by the end, Jimmy may not have been the player he was when he helped lead the Heat to the 2023 NBA Finals, but his presence is still something that the team has struggled to replace.
Who knows where the Heat would be right now had the two not had the messy breakup, and if this phone call from Jaquez Jr. would've changed things.
No matter how you look at it, the divorce between the Heat and Jimmy was one of the most unfortunate storylines to take place in the last few years in the Association. Miami was supposed to be Jimmy's home. The two seemed perfect for each other. And they were.
Until they weren't.
I'm sure there's some regret on both sides, even though they may never fully admit it. Still, it's pretty crazy to think that Jaquez Jr., of all the Heat players, was the one to try to salvage the relationship between the two when it was at its all-time low.