When the Miami Heat drafted Tyler Herro back in 2019, it was clear they got their hands on another talented player that flew under the radar. Herro’s rookie season featured several standout performances and clutch shooting. He made his mark on a nationally televised stage during the Heat’s 2020 bubble NBA Finals run.
Herro averaged 19.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in Miami’s 4-2 Eastern Conference finals win over the Boston Celtics that year. He torched them in Game 4 of the series with 37 points off the bench on 14 of 21 shooting. Just two seasons after, he became the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Unfortunately for the Heat and Herro, it has seemed like he hasn’t been able to make as much of an impact compared to his earlier seasons. If it is injuries, it is consistency issues in his overall performance. He was sidelined for the entirety of the Heat’s 2023 Finals run and missed 40 games during last season due to ankle and foot injuries.
With Herro set to make just shortly below $30 million next season, he is considered a big part of Miami’s core. Somehow, Herro has survived trade rumors for several consecutive offseasons. But if availability and/or performance issues arise yet again, he could be running out of chances.
Let’s go over a handful of options that the Heat could replace with Herro’s services.
1. Zach LaVine
Somewhat similar to Herro’s situation in South Beach, Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls has been battling trade rumors for quite some time. The issue with a potential LaVine trade for the Bulls is his ridiculous overpaid contract. He has suffered injury and consistency issues himself in Chicago throughout the years.
LaVine is not known as a playoff performer either, and has a lot of flaws on the defensive side of the ball. He is set to make just over $43 million for the 2024-25 season, making it close to an impossible contract to unload for his caliber. Although a change of scenery could always provide a chance for LaVine to build back up his stock.
As a former NBA All-Star, he has been able to put together some really strong scoring seasons in Chicago when healthy. Between 2020-2023, Lavine has averaged 25.5 points. If the Bulls front office is willing to attach a draft pick or two as a sweetener, the Heat (who lack draft capital) could be enticed to take the risk.