The Heat have entered their first full season following the Jimmy Butler era. Miami opted for youth in an age of the NBA that prioritizes a young core's growth with the hope of long-term success to follow. Although their roster has changed drastically, that signature "Heat culture" remains within the organization's walls.

Third-year forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. is a key part of the Heat's retooled youthful roster. After four seasons starring at UCLA, Miami made him the 18th pick of the 2023 NBA draft. His future with the Heat wasn't always a given, though, especially as the franchise worked through their saga with Butler last season, which led to his trade to the Warriors at the deadline.

Jaquez spoke with Sports Illustrated as part of his partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition where he shared a glimpse of his life as a pet parent to his 90-pound Bernese Mountain Dog puppy Percy while dealing with the rigorous schedule of a professional athlete. When the trade went down, he was on the bench as the Heat were in the middle of a game against the 76ers and received the news from a fan. It's shocking to learn of a franchise-altering deal and even your own future when there are other important matters at hand, but for Jaquez, he luckily got a feeling of relief.

"I was kind of nervous that I was going to be the one traded," he said to SI. "But I was happy to find out that I wasn't. You know, it's weird. The NBA is a crazy league, crazy things happen every single day and we're just blessed to be a part of this crazy organization."

Once the news hit the Heat bench, Jaquez confirmed the details of the trade with a team security guard. Miami received Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell and a first-round pick in the '25 draft which they used to select Illinois guard Kasparas Jakučionis. The Heat sent out Josh Richardson as well, but didn't need to part with any of their young pieces to get the deal done.

Although a Butler trade was expected, Jaquez said it was a surreal to find out about the massive deal during a game.

"You kind of have no words, no words related to describe it. ... We had all sort of sensed something was going to happen pretty soon and it just happened during a game," he said. "I don't know how it came out so fast. It's crazy to find out how your teammates got traded in the middle of a game that you're playing. News breaks fast nowadays."

The Heat are on their path forward, building around their core of Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, with intriguing young players like Kel'el Ware, Jakučionis and Jaquez. Miami added Norman Powell over the offseason as a key veteran. He scored 28 points in their season opener against the Magic Wednesday. Jaquez had a solid debut to year three, scoring 13 points on 6-for-7 from the field and adding six rebounds and two steals. He played less minutes last year, averaging 20.7 minutes per game compared to 28.2 a night in his rookie season where he was named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.

In this new era of Heat culture, the Bruin great is thrilled he's remained in Miami for the ride.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jaime Jaquez Jr. Explains Why He Was Nervous to Hear Jimmy Butler Trade News Mid-Game.