UCLA Basketball: Ex-Bruin Wing Talks About Being Possibly Traded Before Start Of First NBA Season
![UCLA Basketball: Ex-Bruin Wing Talks About Being Possibly Traded Before Start Of First NBA Season UCLA Basketball: Ex-Bruin Wing Talks About Being Possibly Traded Before Start Of First NBA Season](https://www.si.com/.image/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/MTk5MjUxMTgxOTI5NzY4MzUw/usatsi_20306726_168396005_lowres.jpg)
The Miami Heat are in a state of flux right now. As they wait for all the drama surrounding Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, they are playing their own waiting game. It’s being reported that Lillard is adamant about joining the Heat this offseason and he would be unhappy if he is traded anywhere else.
This means that most players on the Heat roster are up for grabs in a potential trade for Lillard and that includes their 2023 first round draft pick Jaime Jaquez Jr. out of UCLA. The former Bruin has been lighting it up at the NBA summer league so far, making his case to possibly be sent over to the Pacific Northwest as a part of a Lillard trade.
Jaquez Jr. spoke on the trade rumors and gave a very mature answer despite only being apart of the league for a few weeks.
Of his name being linked to the Lillard possibilities, Jaquez said Sunday, "It's a part of the job. It happens quick. Things happen. This is a business. It is what it is, but I'm trying to stay positive right here. My focus is the Miami Heat. I'm just putting all my focus there."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) July 9, 2023
The rookie averaged 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds a game in his final season with UCLA last year. He was huge in the team run to the Final Four in 2022 and was a fan favorite for the Bruins during his time there. During the pre-draft, he shot up draft boards and was ultimately taken number 18 overall by Miami.
Trades and having your name in trade rumors is apart of being a professional athlete and Jaquez Jr. is learning it all too soon. But he is handling it the right way and that shows who he is as a person. As he said, things happen quickly in the NBA so it'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Either way UCLA fans will be rooting for him and wish him nothing but the best in his career.