The days of Tyler Herro being an untouchable asset for the Miami Heat are over. In fact, it does now seem like the Heat's obvious plan for Herro is to trade him as soon as they get their first opportunity to do so.
But that doesn't mean they're going to just give him away.
I can't imagine the Heat are going to trade Herro just for the sake of doing so, much less part ways with him in a salary dump. But compared to the alternative, which would be to re-sign him to an expensive long-term deal, you'd imagine the Heat are at the point where a divorce makes much more sense.
Ideally, the Heat would use Herro in a trade for another star. Theoretically speaking, the Heat could be hoping that Herro could headline a monster trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo - at this year's trade deadline or during the offseason. Whether or not that's foolish to believe is an entirely different conversation, but that has to be the hope at this point.
Tyler Herro's downfall this season
This path that Herro and the Heat have taken is quite unfortunate because of how promising their journey together began. After being the 13th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Herro quickly became one of the Heat's best developmental stories.
From being a player who could potentially add some shooting to the Heat's bench to winning Sixth Man of the Year in his third season to ultimately being named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team last year, Herro has been a great story for Miami.
However, this season, much of that narrative has begun to shift.
Herro has gone from the lovable underdog story to a potentially overpaid player that may not fit with where the team is headed anymore. Add in the fact that he's been constantly injured this year, which has been an issue for him in years past, and it's clear he's no longer as valuable to this franchise as he once was.
The Heat has to make a decision quickly on Tyler Herro
Sooner rather than later, the Heat needs to make a decision on Herro's future. With just one year left on his contract after this season, Miami will need to decide whether he's deserving of a contract extension or not.
If the answer to that question is no, the Heat have no other option than to trade him. And if Miami knows the answer to that question now, things could get quite interesting over the next few weeks before the February 5 trade deadline.
The Heat has to pay him or trade him. Considering Miami didn't have serious discussions with Herro's camp on an extension this past offseason, maybe they already have their decision.
But waiting for the right moment could be extremely risky, especially watching what's unfolded with Trae Young and Ja Morant of late.
While the "when" and "how" still need to be sorted out, it's pretty clear what the plan is for Herro moving forward. And if Miami isn't going to pay him, which doesn't seem likely right now, they have to trade him.
It may have been a plan that seemed unthinkable just a couple of years ago, but it feels like the right move now. The Heat is going to trade Herro. It's a matter of when, not if, anymore.