Ranking all Miami Heat players into 5 trade value tiers
By Brennan Sims
We're long past the treacherous 2023 summer that did not see Damian Lillard end up in a Miami Heat jersey. I felt my heart in my stomach when I got that "Damian Lillard to the Bucks" notification on my iPhone 12 mini. The Heat have made minimal efforts to acquire other stars since then, alienating some Heat fans with inactivity.
Atlanta Hawks All-Star Trae Young is reportedly on the trade block, but the Heat doesn't seem eager to strike a deal on the walking 25-and-10 threat.
While many fans like myself believe the Heat should go after Young despite his shortcomings, it's up to the front office to decide. But if the Heat don't have worthy assets other teams are attracted to, there's only so much that can be done.
The rest of the league and the Heat front office seem to disagree on the value of some of these Miami Heat players—that may be why the Heat don't even bother trying to get disgruntled stars that hit the market these days.
I'll make it easier for the bosses upstairs. These five tiers make up the trade value for the 13 players on standard contracts with the Miami Heat. There was a time when Pat Riley said he'd only deal Tyler Herro for a future Hall of Famer. The premise of that sentiment remains true.
Only moved for a needle mover: Tyler Herro
Tyler Herro has been the subject of trade rumors throughout his tenure in Miami. He's the best talent on the roster that the Heat are willing to move. Herro's value was a topic of discussion during the Lillard fiasco. Fans and general managers around the league didn't think it was worth moving important assets to acquire Herro.
With that said, the Heat still aren't moving Herro unless it's for one of the players who immediately makes the Heat contenders. Some players linked to Miami over the last years, like Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant, are the type of returns we'd need if we move Boy Wonder. Miami is better off keeping Herro if scraps are the only thing they'd get in return.
Every team could use a high-volume 40% deep-range shooter. Teams don't necessarily want suspect defenders on heavy contracts who don't operate efficiently on offense. Herro can decide which guy he wants to be.
For his value to rise, the 3-pointers need to volcano, and the mid-range creation needs to decrease. Bomb away like the lethal shooter you are, and I promise there won't be any more question marks around your value.