No matter what happens the rest of this season, the Miami Heat face some difficult decisions this summer.
The Heat are set to have one of the league’s highest payrolls next season and, for a team that could be in the play-in tournament for the second straight year, the cost of the roster may not be worth the results.
Further complicating matters in the second luxury tax apron that Miami will be bumping up against. The Heat have made it clear that they don’t plan to be a second-tax team and will avoid the onerous financial penalties and roster-building constrictions associated with it.
The Heat have nearly $157 million tied to five players – Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Duncan Robinson – for next season. The easiest way to create some cap relief is to trade at least one of them while taking less money back. But the Heat could also make other moves to create more flexibility.
This is where the difficult decisions come in. These moves might be unpopular, but they are worth exploring.
5. Trade Tyler Herro
Herro is been involved in trade rumors for the better part of the last two years, and while his name has been mentioned as a cornerstone piece in a package for stars like Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell and Damian Lillard, the Heat might have to settle for something less.
Making $29 million next season, Herro’s contract might be tough to move after this season. Though he is averaging career highs in points (20.8) and assists (4.4), he’s played in only 36 games and it’s unclear if he will return this regular season.
If the Heat can’t turn Herro and other assets into a star player this summer, they may have to salary-dump him to a young team in need of scoring. Teams like the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz are projected to have enough cap space to absorb Herro’s deal. The Heat could ask for a player making less money and draft picks in exchange.
Based on the trade targets Herro was associated with before, this could be seen as selling low on Herro’s value. But it also might be necessary for the Heat to escape their tricky luxury tax situation.