With the end of this NBA season on the horizon, it is almost that time when free agency and the trade market starts to heat up. The Miami Heat are expected to make changes, as confirmed during Pat Riley’s end-of-season press conference. They own the 15th overall pick and a second-round pick in this year’s draft. They also face decisions with their own free agents Caleb Martin and Haywood Highsmith, extension talks with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and trade discussions.
The Heat are always linked to the possibility of acquiring a new All-Star caliber player, and this year won’t be any different.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said he expects a lot of player movement this summer. There are names on the free agent or trade market like Paul George, Donovan Mitchell, LeBron James, Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, OG Anunoby and Brandon Ingram, to name a few.
On top of some players that could be available, Miami can trade up to three first-round draft picks. That brings us to the next question for the Heat; who are those players seen as assets that can be dangled in trade discussions?
Tyler Herro
One of the more obvious ones could indeed be the Heat’s talented combo guard Tyler Herro. This is a player that has survived trade rumors in virtually every offseason since his rookie year. Last summer may have been the closest to unloading Herro after Damian Lillard’s request to be sent to Miami and Miami only.
Herro missed 40 games this season due to injuries, but when he has played there has been no doubt about his skillset. In a win-or-go-home play-in situation against the Chicago Bulls, Herro turned in one of the best performances of his career. The playmaking for himself and others was dominant and willed this undermanned Heat team into the postseason.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep that pace up. Other than in Miami's miraculous Game 2 win over the Celtics, Herro put together underwhelming performances across the Heat’s seven total play-in and first-round postseason games. Being that Herro is just 24 years old, a former Sixth Man of the Year winner, and coming off three consecutive 20-plus point seasons, he becomes arguably the team’s biggest asset. This is a guy who has struggled with availability and consistency in his play during his five-year Heat tenure.
If the Heat can find the right deal, relocation for Herro as the centerpiece of any trade likely gets the ball rolling.