Spoelstra says Lowry’s Heat legacy defined by winning; Jaquez out again vs. Celtics

MIAMI — The ending was clunky, there is no way to sugarcoat that aspect, with Kyle Lowry first demoted and then dealt.

But in moving on to the next iteration of his rotation, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said what should not be forgotten is how the veteran point guard in his first two Heat seasons helped the team advance to the 2022 Eastern Conference finals and then last season’s NBA Finals.

That, Spoelstra said, should leave a lasting appreciation in the wake of Lowry and a first-round pick being sent to the Charlotte Hornets this week for Terry Rozier.

“We all pushed to get Kyle here, and that’s for a reason,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat hosting the Boston Celtics on Thursday night at Kaseya Center. “Kyle, you can never define him by his stats. His whole career, particularly as an ultimate winner, you define him by whether your team is winning or not and how it was functioning. And the first two years, the resume speaks for itself.

“The Eastern Conference finals and going to the Finals, he was a big part of both seasons. And his ability to impact both units, the first year as full-time starter, and then when we had injuries, to really help us secure that number-one seed. If we didn’t have those six weeks with him playing at an extremely high level and infusing confidence in everybody, we wouldn’t have had that number one seed. And then the second year to be able to handle coming in off the bench and really starring in the role off his injury, and our second unit really struggled last year until he went into it, and he basically fixed all of that.”

Then came this season, when age seemingly took hold with the 37-year-old and uneven play ensuing.

That, Spoelstra said, should not tarnish what Spoelstra has reiterated should ultimately be cast as a Hall of Fame career.

“As a human being,” Spoelstra said, “I’d gotten to know him a long time before we got him. I just really respect him and enjoy him as a human being. I’ll miss that.”

The Heat acquired Lowry in a 2021 sign-and-trade transaction that sent guard Goran Dragic and forward Precious Achiuwa to the Toronto Raptors. Lowry signed a three-year, $85 million contract as part of that transaction, now able to move off the final, $27.9 million season on that deal.

“And this is part of the business,” Spoelstra said of this week’s trade. “You come to really develop some strong relationships with people and sometimes you have to make a business decision. And that’s what this was.”

Lowry is positioned to likely be able to move on to a contender, either by being rerouted or bought out by the Hornets.

“He’ll be just fine,” Spelstra said. “He’ll find his next stop, wherever that is, whether it’s Charlotte or somewhere else and he’ll continue to make an impact.”

No Jaquez

Rookie guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. remains sidelined, missing his sixth consecutive game Thursday night with the groin strain sustained in the Jan. 14 home victory over the Hornets.

Jaquez had started seven consecutive games before the injury, although that role now could change with the acquisition of Rozier and the return of Jimmy Butler in the interim from a toe injury.

Also, Heat forward Kevin Love continues to deal with the illness that sidelined him for the night in the first half of Wednesday night’s loss to the visiting Memphis Grizzlies.

Moving forward

Among the next steps for the Heat, Spoelstra said, is to further the backcourt pairing of Rozier and Tyler Herro.

“I definitely see the possibilities with those two guys,” Spoelstra said. “And it’s not a shock to feel that way, because you have two supremely skilled players that can do a lot with the ball. They’re both unselfish. They both can do things at all three levels in this game. Their drive-and-kick game is great.

“I just think we’re really going to be able to build on that chemistry.”