Taking Jaime Jaquez Jr. as the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft was a solid decision by the Miami Heat. However, the biggest mistake the Heat made was a move they did not make — and that is trading for Damian Lillard.

Miami entered the 2023 NBA Draft with just one pick. They used that to take an offensively skilled 6-foot-7 wing out of UCLA. While some lauded Pat Riley for finding another talented gem with Jaquez at 19, it wasn't the best course of action for the Heat on draft night to improve their chances of getting over the hump and winning a title.

The Heat only had one move to make in the 2023 NBA Draft — and that is to trade the No. 19 overall pick and go all in to acquire Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. Here is why the Heat will regret not doing so on Thursday.

1 big mistake by Heat in 2023 NBA Draft

The Lillard-to-Miami rumors were heating up (pun intended) in the days leading up to the draft, especially after Bradley Beal made his decision to go to the Phoenix Suns. But ultimately, Riley stood pat and went with keeping and using the 19th pick to select one of the oldest rookies in the class, while Lillard is still painfully mulling his future in Portland.

It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that Lillard would have made Miami instant title favorites next season. This is a team that exceeded expectations and just made the NBA Finals as an 8th seed. The 7-time All-Star is exactly what the Heat need in terms of a lead guard and primary shot creator who can relieve majority of the offensive load off Jimmy Butler.

Miami is reportedly going to exercise patience in terms of waiting for Lillard, as he plans see how Portland will play out free agency first before demanding a trade. However, the draft was perhaps the best chance for them to trade for Dame because they still had the maximum value of the 19th pick at their disposal.

Ideally, Miami could still use Jaquez in any potential Lillard deal. The Heat could use a package of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, Jaquez, multiple first round picks and pick swaps to acquire the Blazers superstar. But it would have been more enticing for Portland to be able to use that pick with their own choice. The Blazers ultimately did make the decision to forgo any Lillard deals before the draft, but maybe a little bit more nudging from the Heat side of things could have potentially pushed Portland over the edge.

In addition, while Jaquez is a solid draft choice for Miami, he isn't much of a high-upside rookie. At 22 years old, he might be more polished than most rookies right now, which is great for the Heat. But he would not be as enticing a prospect for a rebuilding like the Blazers would be if they trade away Lillard.

Nonetheless, the Heat are still very much in the running for the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. At the end of the day, landing him is all that matters.