The Miami Heat had a sad first-round exit from the playoffs this year, but they can contend in a competitive East that doesn’t include the Boston Celtics if they have some good health and make a few smart summertime moves.
On Tuesday, June 25, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report wrote a trade proposal that would have sent the Heat Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks in return for Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro, and the No. 15 overall choice in Wednesday night’s NBA draft.
With this deal, the Heat add a significant player instead of subtracting Jimmy Butler, which has appeared to be a possible option ever since Pat Riley made critical remarks about the five-time All-NBA honoree.
Although Young and his aggressive, ball-dominant approach might not fit in well with #HeatCulture, what if Miami’s rigorous environment is just what the prolific scorer needs to advance to the next level of his career? Since moving to Atlanta, Young has been hailed as a team cornerstone. He could gain from playing for a team that prioritises tenacity, diligence, and selflessness above all else.
Miami has also struggled offensively for the most of the Butler-[Bam] Adebayo period. Young is a very strong initiator who can lead a team’s attack on his own.
Heat’s offensive attack would be immediately elevated by Trae Young.
In response to Hughes, Young has averaged 25.5 points per game during his career and, according to Basketball Reference, has made 43.6% of his long-range efforts on 8.1 attempts a game.
Sending Herro and Robinson to Atlanta would cost Miami a good lot of shooting, even if Robinson has been benched frequently since signing a $90 million contract over three years ago due to extended droughts.
While Herro has improved over the last two seasons, he still has a significant injury history that kept him out of the game for nearly half of the previous season and the majority of the Heat’s journey to the Finals the year before.
Over the course of his career, Young has had a considerably greater influence than either Herro or Robinson, while frequently playing as almost a zero defensively. Over his six years in the league, the point guard has averaged 9.5 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. He has also been in three All-Star games.
Young’s $215 million, five-year contract retains him with the team through 2025–2026 with a player option for the next campaign.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. Would Be Difficult for Heat to Give Up Jaquez is one of the Miami players that would be hardest to part with.
The 6-foot-6 forward from UCLA was chosen by the Heat with the 18th overall choice in the 2023 draft. Throughout his debut season, he made 75 appearances, 20 of which were starts.
Jaquez averaged 11.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1 steal per game by the end of the campaign. For his accomplishments, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and placed fourth in the league’s Rookie of the Year competition.
In his debut professional season, he recorded a defensive rating of 113.2, demonstrating his skill as a defender as well. In the 2023–24 season, the average for all NBA players—not just rookies—was 116.1.
At just 23 years old, Jaquez looks to be on a career-long rising performance curve for many more campaigns. Nevertheless, the Heat are the most probable team to return Miami to the Finals for the third time in six years if they can acquire Young while keeping Butler and Adebayo.
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