Jaime Jaquez Jr. gave his respect to Heat legend after he was drafted - "Let him know he’s the O.G."
Jaime Jaquez Jr. is the latest player to join the Miami Heat, having been drafted by the franchise with the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. When speaking on a recent episode of 'Podcast P with Paul George', Jaquez Jr. revealed how he had reached out to Udonis Haslem after joining Miami.
Jaime Jaquez Jr on Paul George’s podcast, asked if he had reached out to anybody on the Heat after being drafted:
“Udonis Haslem.” https://t.co/VsRAn9seYc
“I think the one — U.D. or Udonis Haslem — I reached out to him and let him know he’s the O.G. of the Miami Heat, so I felt it was only right for me to reach out to him and let him know I’m excited,” Jaquez Jr. said.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has already begun to impress for the Miami Heat, having made an immediate impact during the team's California Classic competition against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following his debut for the Miami Heat, Jaime Jaquez Jr. discussed what it was like to get his first taste of NBA action.
"It felt good. It felt really good. I was happy to be able to do that first game, make a statement and I'm happy how the game turned out," Jaquez Jr. said.
Miami Heat fans will get plenty more opportunities to see Jaime Jaquez Jr. play in the coming days as the Heat begin their Las Vegas Summer League schedule on Saturday, July 8, with their opening game coming against the Boston Celtics.
Miami Heat are embroiled in Damian Lillard trade saga
While Miami Heat fans will be excited to see what Jaime Jaquez Jr. can bring to the table, they will also be following the NBA news cycle closely, as their team is currently embroiled in a trade saga involving Damian Lillard.
According to a July 5 report by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Damian Lillard's agent Anthony Goodwin has informed teams around the NBA not to trade for the superstar, as he only wishes to play for the Miami Heat:
"As Cronin explores the broader landscape, Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, has been calling prospective trade partners and warning against trading for his client, team executives told ESPN," Wojnarowski said.
"Goodwin is telling organizations outside of Miami that trading for Lillard is trading for an unhappy player. As interference goes, this is a time-honored agent maneuver to depress offers and clear a path to a predetermined destination."
As such, the Miami Heat roster could look vastly different than it did during their run to the NBA Finals last season. Heat fans will be hoping that adding Damian Lillard to their recent addition of Jaime Jaquez Jr. will result in a more dynamic rotation, allowing them to have another chance at competing for a championship.
The Miami Heat bounced back from a tough 2022-23 regular season by charging all the way through the playoffs to the NBA Finals, where they were unable to overcome the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic.
However, a new big three of Jimmy Butler, Damian Lillard, and Bam Adebayo could be enough to see the Heat push the Nuggets into deep waters next season - assuming both teams make it back to the NBA Finals, of course.