The Miami Heat had the No. 18 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and they spent it on UCLA forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. Jaime Jaquez is a great pick by the Heat as he simply fits the culture that they have established. While playing for UCLA, Jaquez made a name for himself by playing fundamental basketball and consistently being a leader on the court for the Bruins. His offensive game is extremely fundamental and he made it a habit to make the right play; this will blend well with a Heat system that is all about getting teammates involved. Not to mention, he displays great effort night in and night out, a trait needed to play for the Miami Heat. However, the Heat still have work to do after drafting Jaime Jaquez Jr. With the 2023 NBA Draft over, the Heat need to look towards both NBA free agency and the trade market to improve. One trade in particular has been on their mind and still needs to be: a trade for Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard.

Taking Jaime Jaquez Jr in the NBA Draft doesn't really change the identity of the Heat and doesn't do much to change where they currently stand in the Eastern Conference. They have proven they are good enough with their current roster to make it to the NBA Finals, however it is clear they need another star to take the whole thing. Not to mention, the Boston Celtics just traded for Kristaps Porzingis and the Milwaukee Bucks are destined to come back with a vengeance next season, so getting through the East is going to be a tougher task. While they should be happy with landing Jaime Jaquez Jr, this should by no means stop their pursuit of Damian Lillard. Whatever it takes, they need to try and trade for the Blazers star. If the Heat can successfully trade for Damian Lillard, they could become the favorite to win the NBA Finals next season.

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Trade for Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard would provide the Miami Heat essentially everything they were missing in this year's NBA Finals. The Denver Nuggets were by far the better team, but the Heat were still competitive and were simply missing a go-to scorer when they needed it. It is obvious that Lillard could fill that role for them, although he would do much more than be their primary scorer. Adding Lillard would allow Jimmy Butler to play off the ball much more in both normal and crunch time situations; Butler is clearly more comfortable away from the ball and getting teammates involved, as he has said so himself.

Besides what Damian Lillard could do for Jimmy Butler, he would cement the Heat as a contender for as long as his tenure in South Beach would be. Besides point guard, the Heat are pretty locked up at every position. Butler figures to be a mainstay in Miami for the rest of his career, while Tyler Herro is still blossoming into an elite shooting guard and scorer. Bam Adebayo holds down the paint for the Heat, and landing them a traditional big would not make much sense given the system that they play. Putting Damian Lillard with this team would just make too much sense.

There are a few other reasons why a trade for Damian Lillard is a necessity for the Heat, one being his mentality. The Heat became the poster child for toughness and perseverance in the NBA Playoffs this year, consistently reminding the media after wins that all they care about is winning and literally nothing will redirect their confidence or ability to keep playing hard. Damian Lillard has been extremely vocal about his desires to win right now and that he is pretty much only interested in contending. Additionally, his loyalty to the Blazers has been well documented, so Lillard would be bringing a character to the Heat that would not only mesh well but thrive.

Lastly, the Heat did just draft Jaime Jaquez Jr, a player that would be more than willing to soak up the knowledge that Butler and Lillard would be willing to share. Jaquez will probably learn the most from Bam Adebayo, as although Adebayo plays a slightly bigger game, both players have similar styles. Still, Jaquez showed an extreme maturity and basketball IQ while at UCLA, so learning from Damian Lillard would come easily for him. It is clear that all the variables in place make sense for the Heat to trade for Damian Lillard. It now just remains to be seen if they do their due diligence and pull the trigger.