It’s become abundantly clear that the Miami Heat need to trade Tyler Herro. That’s the one thing, at a minimum, that this team has learned so far this season.
Entering this year, the biggest question that this team faced revolved around whether Herro would be considered a foundational building block for the future. Especially with a contract decision on his future on the horizon, the Heat needed some clarity on the Herro front.
Even though Herro has only played in six games so far this season, I’d argue they’ve gotten all the clarity they need. It’s one of the Heat’s big burning questions that has been answered when no one expected it.
Why the Heat should trade Tyler Herro
This is not to overly criticize Herro. He’s a good player. A very good player, but he’s also a huge defensive liability. And, honestly, his talent on the offensive end of the floor doesn’t overly compensate for his defensive incapabilities.
And here’s the big problem with that: the Heat have so many more encouraging developments that go beyond relying solely on Herro. From all indications, the Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware combination is only going to get better, especially as the latter begins to hit his individual stride.
Norman Powell has also looked like a tremendous fit, playing much of the Herro role for the majority of this season, and is everything that the Heat generally looks for in a veteran piece. Sure, Powell has some of the same defensive issues as Herro, but he’s also not going to be asking for $40-plus million
Davion Mitchell has also been a huge find for the Heat, emerging as the point-of-attack defender that they’ve been seeking for a very long time. Mitchell is also one of the most underrated offensive players in the league, leading the team in assists per game.
What the team needs most is an isolation, No. 1 option that could close games and carry the offense when it’s struggling. While Herro has shown to be that at times, he’s not consistent enough in that role.
And when he isn’t scoring at a high and efficient level, his liability on the defensive end of the floor becomes even greater. Think of it this way: there are too many times when opposing defenses are hunting Herro in late-game situations.
That’s never a great thing and almost never the case for any of the top-level superstar No. 1 options in the league.
Herro is a good player and can be a winning player in the right situation. The Heat no longer present that for Herro, and it’s time for the team to trade him.