The Miami Heat could've signed Tyler Herro to a rich extension this past summer. Instead, they decided to hold firm in waiting for this situation to play out, and it seems as if they've made the right call. Herro has struggled to fit in with the Heat's new philosophy, and they still have the same star problems with or without him in the lineup.
There's still a lot of season left for Herro to change the narrative, but, at least for now, he's not playing anything like a player who is worth the $40-plus million per year extension that his camp is likely hoping for.
In October, Herro was eligible for a three-year. $150 million contract extension with the Heat. However, it doesn't seem as if there were any substantial talks between the two sides, and a contract extension never got close.
Heat's gambled on their Tyler Herro extension decision
Herro notoriously said that he didn't mind waiting to get an extension to the Heat, joking that it would only get more expensive for them if it got to that.
Interestingly enough, it seems like the opposite is playing out so far for Herro. Through his first six games played with the Heat so far this season, he's looked everything but irreplaceable.
The Heat are just 3-3 with Herro in the lineup this season, and while he may be averaging 23 points on 50/40/90 shooting splits, he hasn't been able to raise the ceiling for the rest of the team. And that, more than anything, is the biggest issue the Heat has on its hands.
This is not to tear down Herro or to craft out a narrative that he isn't a star player in this league; he is. However, he may not be the right one for the Heat, and their decision to wait on extending his contract could be one of the biggest signals that the front office tends to agree.
Herro has struggled to fit within the Heat's new offensive system through the first handful of games, and working him back into the rotation has also somewhat stunted the growth of both Kel'el Ware and Jaime Jaquez Jr.
It's certainly a real dilemma that the Heat has on its hands, with no clear ways to solve it.
But despite all that, there's one thing that's become abundantly clear - the Heat made the absolutely right decision to wait on giving Herro an extension.
There's a scenario in which Herro plays his way to the point where he's deserving of one by the end of the season, but right now, that move wouldn't looked like a huge mistake had they gone through with it.