Miami Heat tell Tyler Herro who he's been offered for in a trade

Tyler Herro’s involvement in trade rumors over the past two years isn’t a secret but, according to a new report, the Miami Heat have told Herro exactly what they would be willing to trade him for.

According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, the Heat indicated to Herro and his agent last offseason that they would only deal Herro for a future Hall of Famer.

“Herro said the Heat conveyed to his agent, Jeff Schwartz, during the summer that if he was going to be dealt, it would be for a top 75 (all time) player. So unless that changes, there aren’t many players that Herro would be dealt for.”

The Heat pursued Damian Lillard over the summer and Herro would have likely been a part of any deal had the Portland Trail Blazers been willing to negotiate. Portland ultimately traded Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks for a package including Jrue Holiday and draft picks.

Lillard is part of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team that celebrated the 75 greatest players in league history. Like Lillard, Kevin Durant is also a part of that team. The Heat pursued Durant in the summer of 2022 before the Brooklyn Nets eventually traded him to the Phoenix Suns before the 2022-23 season trade deadline. Again, Herro likely would have been part of any deal for Durant.

Herro, 23, is a talented scorer earning at least $27 million a year as part of his four-year, $120 million contract. All of this makes him Miami’s most enticing trade asset beyond core pieces Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Though Heat president Pat Riley has publicly called Herro a franchise building block, it’s clear the organization would be willing to trade him for the right star coming back.

When I asked Herro in October if being available for a Top 75 player should be seen as a compliment, he responded with a laugh.

"Still, it was hard for Herro not to take the trade rumors personally. Some argued that being offered in trades for All-NBA players like Durant and Lillard should be taken as a compliment.

“That’s one way to look at it,” Herro laughs. “But at the end of the day, I was drafted here and I feel like I gave a lot to the team and a lot of the organization and a lot to the city.

“So that part can’t get ignored even though it is a business and it is for Kevin Durant or Damian Lillard,” he continued. “There’s still this whole other human side of it. So of course I’m gonna feel some type of way.”"

With Lillard and Durant off the market, there aren’t many other players who fit the Top 75 criteria. 

The active players on the list are:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Stephen Curry
• Anthony Davis
• James Harden
• LeBron James
• Kawhi Leonard
• Chris Paul
• Russell Westbrook
  
  

The Heat did not show interest in Harden before the 76ers traded him to the Clippers, and others like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook are past their primes.

Others like Antetokounmpo, Curry, Davis and James are franchise players and aren’t being traded any time soon. One interesting name is Kawhi Leonard, who has a player option after the season and could become a free agent. Should he decide to leave, perhaps the Heat could get involved in a sign-and-trade. There would be questions about Leonard's fit next to Butler and there's nothing to suggest that the Heat are targeting Leonard at this point.

This is a short list. Even if an All-Star like Donovan Mitchell were to eventually seek a trade, he wouldn’t qualify. But would the Heat really pass up an opportunity to trade for a talent such as Mitchell because he doesn’t meet the strict Top 75 criteria? That remains to be seen.

For now, Herro at least has a clear understanding of his standing with the organization.