Heat selects Jakučionis in the 2025 NBA Draft as fans put Durant, Butler drama in the past

Miami Herald

3 hours ago

Wednesday night at the Kaseya Center, Miami Heat fans spilled into the arena for the team's draft party. Amid pop-a-shot games and meet and greets, they were eager to see what magic the Miami front room would conjure after last season's lackluster performance, culminating in their 4-0 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference Finals.
And that magic came when the Miami Heat selected Kasparas Jakučionis. Now, fans are revved up and ready to go.
Jakučionis — the freshman guard from the University of Illinois — was originally projected as a lottery pick, but fell to 20th on draft night when the Heat snagged him in its first-round selection.
'I'm feeling ecstatic because I didn't think Kasparas Jakučionis would be here,' said lifelong fan Kevin Cancelo. 'I think he could be a real difference-maker for the Heat. The playmaking ability that we don't have right now, I mean he's going to have an instant impact.'
The Heat's 2024-25 season, and now offseason, has been anything but uneventful. First, there was the Jimmy Butler saga, which culminated in his early February trade to the Golden State Warriors after months of back-and-forth drama — and a very public breakup — between the six-time NBA All-Star and the Heat.
'The Jimmy Butler situation, to me, was handled the best way it could be handled, especially with a player of that caliber,' longtime fan Jonathan Montoya said. 'Everybody knows his attitude. We got what was good enough for us during that time.' Montoya said he has been a fan of the Heat since 2003, and he's hoping to see 'an upgrade' from the team this upcoming season.
That upgrade could have come from the Heat's potential trade and acquisition of the 15-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, which Montoya said he thought would elevate the team and provide support to Heat leaders Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. The offer reportedly included Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez Jr., plus the 20th pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft.
In the end, it wasn't convincing enough for the Phoenix Suns, who ended up trading Durant to the Houston Rockets.
'With Kevin Durant, I thought the front office could have pushed a little bit harder to get him, but you know, I'm happy we got to keep all the young assets and be able to keep the draft picks,' 14-year-old from Fort Lauderdale Brad Hochberg told the Miami Herald. Hochberg and his family have been season ticket holders since he was three years old.
Now, things could be looking up for the Heat with their selection of Jakučionis. According to Jakučionis, who spoke to Miami media after his selection Wednesday night, he knows 'development is huge there [Miami], and I think I can pull a lot. Just help to make the team better, win as much as we can, and I'm ready to work.'