The Miami Heat recently filled their final roster spot, opting to go into the season with a 14-man roster for tax reasons. They will be unable to even convert an undrafted rookie and/or two-way player without going over the second apron. Over the years, the Heat have committed to salaries that have caused restrictions to the team’s cap room.
A part of that includes five-year guard Tyler Herro, who is set to earn $29 million this upcoming year. He is also due $31 and $33 million the two seasons afterwards, respectively. Herro signed a four-year $120 million contract extension in October of 2022.
At the time, he was coming off winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award months earlier. Although there is still a lot of talent and potential there at just the age of 24, there have been injury and inconsistency issues. He is coming off a 2023-2024 campaign that featured him missing 40 of the 82 regular season games.
Herro has boasted about being a starting-caliber player over the years, but the Heat have won considerably more games with him in the sixth-man role. Miami has a 40-39 record in games that he started alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo over the last two seasons.
Could a change of scenery eventually take place soon for Herro? If so, here are the three teams that could use his services.
1. Utah Jazz
With former Boston Celtics executive Danny Ainge taking over the front office for the Utah Jazz, Herro has someone there that views him in high regard. There were reports in the past that noted he is a player that has been “coveted” by Ainge. Herro has natural talent, especially offensively, which is something that is attractive even for rival front office teams.
He showcased that talent in Utah a couple of seasons ago, where he knocked down a game-winning buzzer-beater from 3-point range. It was a New Year’s Eve matchup between the Heat and Jazz to open the start of 2023.
Utah lost a star wing player on the trade market in Donovan Mitchell two years ago. Since then, they've replaced Mitchell with Collin Sexton and Keyonte George, and drafted USC's Isaiah Collier in the first round last month. But if Ainge still thinks Herro can make the team better, he could explore a deal.
They have the cap space to bring a hefty contract on, and Herro can fill that void offensively in the backcourt with quite a big upside. His offensive ability gives the Jazz a scorer and playmaker on the perimeter that they haven’t had as of late.