Q: So ESPN is saying the Heat offered Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware and picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo in February and the Bucks turned it down. How do you think Tyler thinks about that? – Orv.
A: Tyler Herro is an adult who, seven years in, is well aware of both the trappings and trap doors of being an NBA player. By now, I would think Tyler would find it surprising if he was not mentioned in Heat trade speculation. Remember, the Heat have attempted to placate Tyler for years by stressing that when his name has been out there, it has largely been in regard to Hall of Fame-level talent, the likes of Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and, once and again, Giannis Antetokounmpo. So what does Tyler do? He just plays, awaiting his next payday. Even Kel’el Ware in his two seasons has been through this so often that he, too, at this point simply keeps moving forward. Now if the Heat were winning, and winning big, then you could appreciate greater disappointment in being part of ongoing speculation. But if put to a lie detector, I’m sure the Heat would acknowledge they would have traded Tyler and Kel’el in February for Giannis and would do so the next time such a potential trade window opens. As Dwyane Wade learned, few are Heat players for life, with even Udonis Haslem part of ample trade speculation during his Heat-only NBA career.
Q: I think it would only matter if both Tyler Herro and Norman Powell were coming back next year, which is highly unlikely. Unless this works in the playoffs to the tune of upsets in the first and second rounds, this will all be forgotten come next season as something that didn’t work. – Douglas.
A: Or something that did not have the time to work, because of the absences of Tyler Herro and Norman Powell. The reality is this was the season to see if it could work and try to make it work, because this is the season when extensions for both could be put on hold. Now that luxury is gone. Norman Powell will be paid somewhere by someone, either a Heat extension ahead of free agency or in free agency elsewhere. And while Tyler Herro’s extension clock resets in the offseason, it does not go away, with a decision due there, as well.
Q: Terry Rozier is our Bobby Bonilla. – Bo.
A: Actually, while Terry Rozier will receive his full $26.6 million salary this season – subject to a potential attempt at a clawback but the Heat in the wake of his October arrest on federal changes from the FBI gambling probe – this is not nearly as enduring as the New York Mets’ regrettable contract with Bobby Bonilla that has and will pay $1,193,248.20 every July 1 from 2011 to 2035. The Heat largely have been prudent when utilizing the stretch provision and the like, avoiding any long-term ongoing payouts, as now is the case with the Bucks and Damian Lillard, who will receive $22.5 million from Milwaukee for each of the next four seasons, through 2029-30.