The Miami Heat haven’t been able to land a big name on the trade market, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. While Kevin Durant looks to be staying in Brooklyn for, at least, a little longer, there are other guys out there that might be moved.
One of those guys is Donovan Mitchell. With no real preference about staying or leaving Utah, though with a preferred list of teams, he might be on the move if a team is willing to meet Utah’s lofty asking price.
When it comes to the Miami Heat, that price would surely include Tyler Herro if a deal is to be done. That leads to a really important question though about it all.
When it comes to a potential deal that sends Mitchell to the Heat, would you rather have him and Bam Adebayo or Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo for the next 10 seasons?
Kenneth’s Take
It’s not a really complicated matter for me. When you look at what Tyler Herro has accomplished in his short time in the league, you already know he can be special with and for the Miami Heat.
Yes, Mitchell has already shown to be special, but could he still be that way in a Miami Heat uniform? Donovan Mitchell’s greatness lies in his scoring ability and the way he gets that done is by dominating the rock.
If he can’t have ball dominance, can you maximize him? You’d hope so, especially with what it would cost to land him and because of his salary.
Neither are great defenders, but Herro’s size advantage gives you a little more hope there for him. Herro can be just as good as Mitchell, is bigger, can play on or off the ball without having to dominate it, and would effectively be easier to sign and work around because he’s a homegrown Heat guy based on how NBA contracts work.
Finally, we already know that he and Bam work together. That’s what it’s all about.
Miami Heat: Herro/Bam or Mitchell/Bam for next 10 years – Max’s Take
Now that Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets are done wasting everyone’s time, things can move along. With Miami, among other teams, all out of the Durant sweepstakes, there seems to only be one more star player available, so—Donovan Mitchell… come on down.
Max’s Take (@maxmarshall136)
Miami and Mitchell have been rumored to have a mutual interest for the past couple of years. There is also his longstanding relationship with Bam Adebayo.
Speaking of Bam Adebayo, he’s going to be in Miami for the next decade and could be one of his running mates.
Though Herro and Mitchell are good options to have, who should you rather pair with bam for the next 10 years?
Well, trading for Mitchell would be a good move but they shouldn’t give up everything for him. At least if you pay Herro, you can make the money work with him in another trade down the road.
That’s especially in the NBA, where stars are always upset and asking for trades. Mitchell is a good player, but it’s hard to agree with giving up a lot of assets for him.
At the right price, you make the move. If not, then keep Herro and hope for another leap.
Miami Heat: Herro/Bam or Mitchell/Bam for next 10 years – Noah’s Take
We have seen Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo develop chemistry on the court for the Miami Heat for several years now. The young Kentucky products complement each other with the way one creates shots and spaces the floor while the other defends well and uses his strength inside near the basket.
Noah’s Take (@ndeckerbuckets)
We have recently seen Bam Adebayo play with Donovan Mitchell in a Miami summer league. It is clear that the two get along well.
Mitchell has been involved in trade rumors this offseason—and the Heat are one of the teams that have the potential to trade for the young star.
Between Tyler Herro and Donovan Mitchell, who is the best to pair with Bam Adebayo for the next 10 years? To answer that, we need to keep a few things in mind.
The first is age. Donovan Mitchell will turn 26 years old this season, while Tyler Herro is only 22 years old.
In 10 years, Mitchell would be 36 and likely towards the end of his playing career. At 32 years of age, Herro would still be playing at the pinnacle of his basketball abilities.
You could argue that Herro wins this battle because he is younger, but when you consider the fact that Bam is 25, his skill progression will line up better with Mitchell with respect to their ages.
The next thing to consider is money. Donovan Mitchell will demand a max contract from the Miami Heat.
Although the Heat can likely afford to pay him the max down the line, it makes building a team around two stars a little more difficult. Herro is currently a borderline All-Star.
While he may not be worth a max quite yet, he will probably demand a contract at least close to that for a good chunk of his career. This all goes to say that keeping Herro wouldn’t be too much of a bargain for trading for Mitchell instead.
The last piece to consider is skill and fit with the team. Donovan Mitchell is clearly the better player, but let’s give Herro some credit.
Tyler has consistently improved each year. As previously mentioned, he is still young, so he has the potential to become an even greater player in the NBA.
That being said, Mitchell is more reliable as both a scorer and a playmaker. He outmatches Herro in the skill department, all while having a sharp three-point shot that would be useful in the pairing with Bam Adebayo.
Putting all of these factors together, it becomes clear that Donovan Mitchell would be the better fit alongside Bam Adebayo. It might be difficult to trade for him, but it would assure that Bam would have a legitimate star playing with him for his peak years in the NBA.
That sounds like it would be worth it for Miami.
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.