After years of missing out on All-Stars and former MVPs, the Miami Heat finally landed their superstar in Giannis Antetokounmpo. Apart from multiple picks, they had to shed Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and fan favorite Jaime Jaquez Jr. JJJ is coming off a massive bounce-back campaign where he finished second in the NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting. Understandably so, he was dejected by the news of the exit.

Twitter user Boness305 shared a gym video of the former Heat star appearing dejected with hands on his hips after learning of his trade with the caption, “Jaime Jaquez Jr live reaction to being traded to Milwaukee in the Giannis deal”. In the 21-second clip, a fan/friend of his approached JJJ, showing the team, probably Shams Charania’s tweet, as he broke the news of the trade. Thus, the forward looked down and turned away, and apparently uttered, “Damn bro, s—.”

The video is pretty recent. Furthermore, other fans have uploaded pictures and videos alongside the former Heat star, who was practicing hoops at LA FIT. For weeks, the Heat were favorites to land the two-time MVP. And in every reported deal, Jaquez was the centerpiece. While the 25-year-old may have expected the trade, the reality is, he was still surprised, having to adapt to a new place.

Drafted 18th overall out of UCLA in 2023, Jaquez had spent his entire three-year career building a strong home base in Miami. He played in 75 games (most on the team), started 20, averaged 11.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG, shot nearly 49% from the field, earned NBA All-Rookie First Team honors, finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting, and won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month twice. Since then, he has been on the rise.

The forward developed into an elite rotational piece and finished second in the 2025–26 NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting. He served as the primary engine for Miami’s second unit, posting career highs across nearly every statistical category. Now, Jaquez will slide into a consistent role on the wings for a rebuilding Bucks squad heading into the 2026 NBA Draft.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s addition not enough for Heat

Miami traded away four stars but got the Greek Freak and Bobby Portis in return. Now, their starting five will be different: Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. But here is an additional problem: both Powell and Wiggins need to return next season. Wiggins has a $30.1 million player option, and Powell is an unrestricted free agent this summer who is expected to seek a contract upwards of $20 million per year.

That’s why former NBA champion turned analyst Richard Jefferson stated that the Heat’s work is still far from over. “I feel like they’ve given up so much. They did get a lot, but now, just because you have a talented player, you have to structure the team,” Jefferson stated. “You now have to build an elite team around Giannis, and you’ve given away a ton of assets.”

The Heat now have $18.1 million in first apron space to fill 4 roster spots. They can create more space by trading Nikola Jovic or, if Andrew Wiggins opts out. But they would prefer to at least bring Wiggins back or re-sign Norman Powell, and they can’t afford to lose them both in the offseason, especially after signing Giannis Antetokounmpo.