Miami Heat Roundtable: Tyler Herro/Bam or Donovan Mitchell/Bam for next 10 years?

Miami Heat: Herro/Bam or Mitchell/Bam for next 10 years – Will’s Take

With the Kevin Durant sweepstakes coming to a close, everyone is wondering if the Miami Heat are going to pivot to Donovan Mitchell and whether they should or shouldn’t. The main argument is if Mitchell is worth the asking price and the answer should be yes.

Will’s Take (@crackseason)

Trading for Mitchell would involve giving up Tyler Herro, draft capital, and solid role players. With the Jimmy Butler window being as tight as ever, Miami really has to make the decision on whether to move Herro or not.

That decision comes down to the question of whether Herro can be a true cornerstone for the Heat over the next 10 years alongside Bam Adebayo. Bam is the future, but who would you rather have in that future with him—Herro or Mitchell?

The answer should be Mitchell, plain and simple. One imperative statement that needs to be said early though is this one.

Tyler Herro is good. And in fact, he’s so good that he can get you in the door with other teams involving star players.

He has a high offensive ceiling and could be the third-best player on a championship team. This is not a bash against Herro.

Whoever Miami decides to roll with doesn’t jeopardize their future in any way. With that out the way, Donovan’s talent is not only better than Herro’s but super underlooked throughout the league as well.

Since he entered the league, Mitchell has kept the Utah Jazz firmly on the map after Gordon Hayward left. He’s been a perennial mid-20 points per game scorer and his assist numbers have improved every year.

While Herro has also improved every year, there are three factors that separate the young guards and give you an answer to our question.

For one, Donovan is doing this as the number one scoring option, playmaker, and leader for the Jazz. There’s an enormous amount of pressure and since day one, he’s delivered.

He’s taken the Jazz to the playoffs every year and has even reached the second round a few times. If he can be the main scoring option for Utah alongside Rudy Gobert, who can’t even perform a post move, imagine what he can do for Miami right now and alongside Bam in the future.

Mitchell being ball dominant is a concern, but Bam and Donovan are tight and here in Miami, Erik Spoelstra would figure it out. The concern is way overblown.

Put those two in the pick-and-roll and sparks will fly. Donovan has had to have the ball in his hands because of who he’s played with.

Bojan Bogdanovic is a swell player, but Mike Conley is older, while Royce O’Neale can’t even hit the rim. Again, Gobert’s lack of offense speaks for itself.

So, who can even blame Mitchell for wanting the ball in his hands at all times?

Coming up big in the playoffs is another huge factor in acquiring Mitchell. He had a historic performance in the NBA Bubble, but it doesn’t end there.

He’s shown up before and after the bubble. He has an insane playoff career average of 28 points per game to go along with nearly five assists.

Herro’s playoff numbers are not only jarring to look at, but the play matches it. He’s really shown us nothing so far in the postseason.

He had an “ok’ 2020 run in the bubble with a great game against Boston. Other than that, he provided nothing in the 2021 sweep against the Milwaukee Bucks (though almost everyone did nothing) and was an infuriating no-show all playoffs long this past run.

Tyler has a playoff career average of 14 points per game and hasn’t even averaged 15 since the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. He was a rookie then.

If you factor in the shooting percentages, he doesn’t come close. Mind you, Herro is the third option and Mitchell is the first.

Bam will need a guy to carry the offensive load in the playoffs and Herro, as of right now, hasn’t shown he can be that. Bam is young, but he’s not 22 or 23 anymore.

If you want playoff success in the future with Bam, you get him a scorer that the team can rely on. This is not to say Herro can’t be a good playoff performer, but if Mitchell is up for grabs now, you don’t sit around and wait for Herro to do it.

You go get the guy that already can. The third factor is not even anything on-court related, yet it’s one of the biggest factors for players and that’s being likable around the league.

This isn’t to say that Herro isn’t liked but Mitchell, just like Bam, is loved around the league. If you get Mitchell and Jimmy retires in a couple of years or so, you have Bam and Mitchell that could potentially help land another star from around the league.

Another of the duo’s very best friends from around the league is Jayson Tatum. Can you imagine a trio of them once Jimmy leaves?

Herro doesn’t have that pull and he can’t control that, but is still a plus to have. Yes, it’s a big “if” and could end up not being a factor at all, but it’s a players league.

In conclusion, Mitchell is just the better overall player and probably will be, but that shouldn’t be used to discredit Herro’s talent. However, it should be used to help decide who you want Bam beside for the next 10 years.

The answer will always be Mitchell.