The Bucks’ trade with the Heat may have been the offseason move few people saw coming, but for Kel’el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr., it landed as a fresh start in Milwaukee.
Ware said he had a feeling something was coming while he was in Las Vegas over the week of July 10-11. He was already getting himself ready for a change.
“I kind of figured it was going to happen,” Ware told Miami-based media while in Las Vegas over the weekend of July 10-11. “So I was just preparing myself.”
The two players arrived with different feelings about leaving Miami. Ware, a 22-year-old center, chuckled when asked if he thought he got a fair shot in Miami under head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Jaquez, 24, was more emotional about the move, saying, “I had a feeling. It was definitely devastating for sure.”
Jaquez made it clear how much the city meant to him. “I love Miami, I love the city. It really felt like home for me.”
Even with that attachment, both players sounded energized by what comes next. Ware and Jaquez want to see what’s ahead under new Bucks coach Pat Riley, who said he wanted to see Spoelstra, and they are joining a Milwaukee roster that currently has 4-year veteran Myles Turner at center.
Ware, the No. 16 pick in the 2024 draft, never cracked the starting lineup in Miami. He came off the bench in 51 of his 121 career games and averaged 11 minutes per game over his two seasons. His scoring average of 11.1 points and rebounding average of 6.2 improved in his second season, but his minutes bounced around wildly.
Over the first 35 games of last season, Ware played 23 minutes per game and averaged 12.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 63.6% overall and 43% from behind the 3-point line, although on low volume at 1.7 attempts per game. But over his final 50 games, he played just 17 minutes per game.
Before the trade, Heat president Pat Riley said he wanted to see Spoelstra and fellow big man Bam Adebayo more together. Ware is now with a Bucks team that has Myles Turner at center.
For Jaquez, the move offers a chance to reset after a second season that didn’t match the promise of his rookie year. Drafted No. 18 in 2023, he immediately earned a role off the bench, averaging 11.9 points and 3.8 rebounds as a rookie.
After a dip in his second year, the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 8.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season. His minutes fluctuated more than ever, and he played only 17 minutes per game over his final 50 games.
Still, Jaquez sounded ready to embrace the opportunity in Milwaukee.
“I’m really just happy to get out there and make my mark there in Milwaukee,” Jaquez told Miami-based media.
“We’ll see happens when it comes [regarding an extension]. Right now we’re in Vegas trying to just get acclimated with everyone, meet all the coaches, meet all the staff and we’ll see when that time comes. I’m not really too worried about that right now.”
For now, the Bucks have two new pieces who both believe there’s room for a bigger role, and both are eager to find out what that looks like in Milwaukee.
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