Now that the Miami Heat and Tyler Herro failed to agree to a contract extension before the October 20 deadline, there's a very good chance that the team's core just may have ended as fans know it. Without an extension, Herro's future with the Heat is far from certain.
Herro and the Heat had a 20-day window to agree to an early contract extension before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. The two sides failed to do so, and it will now set up an incredibly interesting next few months for both sides.
If nothing changes between now and next summer, Herro will have the opportunity to test unrestricted free agency if he so pleases. Alternatively, Herro could also opt into the final year of his contract (in hopes that he and the Heat can agree to an extension before the start of next season.
At this point, anything, and everything, may be on the table for Herro and the Heat.
But, at the very least, there's a small chance that this decision is a precursor to a potentially bigger move between now and the 2026 NBA Trade Deadline. I can't help but wonder if the decision not to sign Herro to an early contract extension could lead to a potential trade of the All-Star guard.
Should the Heat trade Tyler Herro?
In theory, if the Heat already know that they're in a position where they can't re-sign Herro to the big-money contract that he's going to be seeking next summer, it would make a ton of sense to trade him.
However, especially of late, that's not exactly how the Heat have done business. In fact, you don't even have to go that far back. Just look at how the Jimmy Butler era ended in Miami.
If the Heat knew they weren't going to give Jimmy the extension he was seeking, it would've made much more sense to trade him last offseason, instead of during the year. Nevertheless, the Heat waited, and were punished for it.
While I'm not sure Herro would do the same, there are some eerie similarities between both situations.
If the Heat did in fact learn anything from their experience with Jimmy, trading Herro between now and the trade deadline would be the likely next domino to fall.
And if that were the case, there's no question that the Heat's core has changed in a blink of an eye.
Much of that is yet to be decided, but you can't help but wonder if the decision not to extend Herro now may say much more about this team's future than most are willing to admit.
The Heat are not entering this season as "contenders," but there are certainly plenty of intriguing storylines to keep a close eye on, especially at the beginning of the year. And Herro's status as a key core player is right at the top.