The Miami Heat's first half of the 2025-26 NBA season has pretty much gone as expected. After a hot start to the year, in which Miami was 14-7 after 21 games, the Heat have regressed to the mean and are 21-20 at the midway point of the year.
This very much has the feel of a "gap" year for the Heat, and even though they're in the playoff picture, there isn't much hope for this team making much noise in the Eastern Conference.
While much remains unsettled about the Heat's future, there are a few difficult truths we've learned about where this team is now through the first half of this year.
Tyler Herro is not a superstar
If this wasn't apparent before this season, the Heat have certainly gotten some clarity on it now. Tyler Herro is a very good offensive player, but he's not a superstar. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's absolutely something that Miami must deal with now that he's due a contract extension.
Herro can't afford to pay him like a superstar, point blank. It's pretty simple. And if the Heat and Herro can't find a middle ground that's right around somewhere near his current average per year salary, I'm not sure if this marriage is going to last much longer.
That means the Heat have to trade him. Considering he just has one guaranteed year on his contract after this season, the official trade clock for Herro starts now. And with every passing day, his trade value is likely only going to shrink more and more.
Speaking of trades, Miami has learned a bit more of its roster value this season as well.
The Heat don't have any untouchables on the roster
Miami has some intriguing assets on its roster, but none of them should be considered 100 percent untouchable. That includes Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, and even Kel'el Ware.
This doesn't necessarily mean that the Heat should be irresponsible in their trade conversations across the league, but nothing can be considered completely off the table for this team. With how this season has gone, no player on the roster has made the case for holding such a high honor.
If there's one player who has been close to an untouchable asset for the team, it's probably Bam. But even he's had his struggles this season, and he certainly has his limitations as a star player.
As the Heat prepares for an offseason where they will be throwing the kitchen sink at Giannis Antetokounmpo, no one on the roster can, at least for the moment, be considered off-limits.
The Heat need to be sellers at the NBA Trade Deadline
Listen, I understand the front office doesn't generally like to waive the white flag, but it's become abundantly clear that the Heat need to embrace the label of seller at the trade deadline. If the Heat isn't going to make a play for Ja Morant, this is the move.
Assuming that the dream goal is a real shot at Giannis during the offseason, this is an approach that is only going to help the Heat get there. The Heat will have four tradable future first-round picks once the offseason arrives, but there's a path where they could have as many as six.
If the Heat could flip Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell or Tyler Herro into at least two first-rounders, it would put them in a much better spot to pull off a move for Giannis.
If it's truly Giannis or bust for the Heat, the front office needs to start acting that way. And flipping a couple of veterans for additional assets (first-round picks) would be a good way to flip that switch.