The Heat Should View Tyler Herro As Untouchable
After a trip to the 2020 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat are in go for it mode. Rightly so, this Heat team appears to be one or two pieces away from a championship. Pat Riley is star hunting again.
Jimmy Butler has proved he’s more than a legitimate star. Bam Adebayo might be the most improved player in the league. Miami also shot it incredibly well from three-point range, making them one of the most dangerous catch-up teams in the NBA.
Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson are maybe the essential parts of this Heat team. As rumors have floated in, it appears that Riley would be willing to part with Herro to capture a star player. One report even mentioned that Herro could be on the table for Jrue Holiday. Boy, what a mistake that would be.
Herro should be viewed as untouchable. Case close, no point in discussing it further. This is one piece the Heat cannot afford to lose to win a championship.
For starters, the Heat doesn’t have to trade for anyone. It’s Miami; they’re the free-agent destination. Why would you give up an asset when you can sign a player just by using the cap space? The Bucks are not trading Giannis Antetokounmpo, but someone like that could become available in the Summer of 2021.
Miami will have a max cap slot in that Summer. The free agents that will hit the market include Giannis, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Rudy Gobert, Victor Oladipo, Jrue Holiday, and Kyle Lowry. Are you telling me Miami strikes out completely? I DON’T BUY IT!
Why give up someone like Herro for Holiday when you can probably have him the following year without giving up the asset? Furthermore, the team that holds the bird rights must pay more to retain the player on a max contract. Now we’re talking about giving up assets and then having to pay him more to keep him. Who would do that?
Do people understand how valuable Herro is? As a rookie, the former Kentucky product averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. In the postseason, those averages spiked 16 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. That was as a 19-year-old. Imagine how good this guy can become?
Herro will earn fewer than $14 million over the next three years of his contract. He’s basically counting zero dollars to the cap allocation. On the current cap projections, Herro is expected to take up 1.91% of the total salary cap for the Heat. Young, cheap, and controllable; there is nothing you can acquire that makes trading that kind of asset worth it.
Just think about this for a second. Pretend you’re the Heat general manager. Let’s say the Minnesota Timberwolves call you and offer you the No. 1 overall pick for Tyler Herro. Do you accept the trade? Any person with a rational brain hangs up the phone. Think about how crazy that is?
The idea that the Heat would even entertain the thought of trading Herro is Loony Tunes. I don’t know what Herro is worth but based on NBA rules; it makes zero sense to trade him.
