The Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes are finally over but one former UCLA Bruin got caught in the crossfire. The Miami Heat traded former Bruin Jaime Jaquez Jr. to the Milwaukee Bucks in part of the package to land Antetokounmpo on Monday evening.
Jaquez had played his entire three-year with the Heat, where he earned a nomination to the 2023-2024 All-NBA Rookie Team and finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year Award this past season. Jaquez is fresh off of his best NBA season, putting up 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per night. Miami selected Jaquez with the 18th pick back in 2023 but eventually had to include the forward in order to land Antetokounmpo.
The highlight of the Mick Cronin era in Westwood came during Jaquez’s sophomore year at UCLA. Jaquez helped lead the Bruins to the Final Four, where the team lost in dramatic fashion to Gonzaga on a dramatic Jalen Suggs buzzer-beater.
Jaquez played all four years at UCLA, a rarity in today’s game, earning All-American honors as a senior when he put up 17.8 points per game with 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals. While his scoring topped out as a senior, Jaquez was at his most efficient during his sophomore season, shooting 48.6% from the field and 39.4% from three.
Now Jaquez will have to adjust to a rebuilding Milwaukee team that just traded away the face of their franchise. The Bucks might choose to keep Jaquez long-term but the 25-year old would have interest around the league if Milwaukee elects to flip Jaquez again this offseason.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Former UCLA Bruin Jaime Jaquez Jr. shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
