While Tuesday night’s game between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers appears to like any other, there are some narratives intermingled in the game as a result of a major offseason transaction. It is no secret that the Heat were close to acquiring star Damian Lillard before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, with young players Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic included in the probable package.
While they were not the only players linked in the potential trade to Portland, including Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson, Jaquez and Jovic may have been the Trail Blazers’ future. Jaquez, a rookie sensation, acknowledged trade speculations, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“I mean, sometimes it’s hard to ignore rumors, although I kept my focus in Miami,” Jaquez was quoted as saying. There were clear possibilities. There will always be options in this job and trade. But I’m glad I am here.”
Jaquez considered a potential match for Portland.
Portland would end up sending Lillard to Milwaukee in a three-team trade that included the Phoenix Suns. The Trail Blazers ended up getting Deandre Ayton, Toumani Camara, Jrue Holiday (now with the Boston Celtics), a 2029 first round pick, and two first-round pick swaps with the Bucks. Jaquez did consider at one point being with the Trail Blazers, but said he “kept his focus on Miami.”
“I mean, I think everybody would be lying if they said they didn’t,” Jaquez said. “You think of different opportunities, different situations. You’ve got to be prepared; you’ve got to be ready. But at the same time, I kept my focus on Miami. This is where I was. I wasn’t really looking at going anywhere else until anything happened.”
Jovic said trade rumors crossed his mind
As for 2022 first round pick Nikola Jovic, he is a talented player at the age of 20-years old that is seemingly to continue developing by the year. He said that while he didn’t think “a lot about it,” it definitely crossed his mind.
“You see a lot of things,” Jovic said. “I’m not going to say I was thinking a lot about it, but of course it crosses your mind.”
Jovic was suspended along with Jimmy Butler and Thomas Bryant for being involved in an altercation in last Friday’s win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He will make his return Tuesday night for the Heat against the Trail Blazers as he mentioned himself and Jaquez “were not the biggest pieces in that trade.”
“But it’s not like I have anything against Portland,” Jovic said. “Of course, you think about that they’re in a rebuild mode and you think about it if you’re going to play or not. Me and Jaime were not the biggest pieces in the trade, but of course you think if you’re going to be in a package.”
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