If there's one thing that has become abundantly clear for the Miami Heat, it's the fact that they're going to have to trade Tyler Herro this offseason. If the plan is to pursue - and land - a star player this summer, trading Herro is a matter of "when" and not necessarily "if" at this point.
Especially after keeping Norman Powell beyond the trade deadline, this decision has become more and more clear. Again, if the Heat believes they'll be able to land a star player in the next few months, trading Herro seems like the next natural move.
And there are a few reasons for that.
For one, Herro would theoretically have more trade value on the open market than Powell. He's younger and has a higher ceiling than him at this point in his career, even if it is ever so slightly. Perhaps most importantly, a Powell extension would likely be much cheaper than a Herro one.
If the Heat are planning on adding another star player, that likely comes with a big contract. The Heat would look at ways to make cost-effective moves. Swapping out Herro for Powell would be one way to accomplish that.
Even though it would be a very sudden and unfortunate end to his career in Miami, it's a move that does seem likely. The season that Herro has had this season hasn't done much to help his case for the Heat keeping him.
Although it's impossible to predict or plan for injury, Herro has certainly had a season to forget. Herro has only played in 11 of 55 regular-season games so far this season, and continues to look like a player who is slowly drifting away from where the Heat are headed as a franchise.
Even when he has been healthy and in the lineup for the Heat, there does appear to be way too much overlap between him and Powell. And to say that Herro doesn't fit in Erik Spoelstra's new offensive system would be an understatement.
That doesn't mean that Herro wouldn't be able to make it work if he had a full season to figure it out, but he simply hasn't had that opportunity this year. And that certainly has to play a big role in the Heat's decision-making on his future.
There was a point in time when Herro was a huge building block of the Heat's future. That doesn't appear to be the case anymore, and, at this point, it would be surprising if Herro was still on the roster at this time next season.
An offseason trade of Herro just makes the most sense for both the Heat and the All-Star guard.