The Miami Heat have a pretty big future-defining decision to make on Tyler Herro in October. No matter what they do, they must absolutely avoid making a complete disaster of it all.
Giving Herro the full max contract extension that he's eligible for (three years, $150 million) would be exactly that.
Tyler Herro at the max is a disaster for the Heat
Many may think this is a shot at Herro, and it's not. Listen, Herro is a very good player. I don't think anyone would argue with that. He made the jump to All-Star status this past season and put together his best year to date.
But just because Herro is an All-Star caliber player at this point in his career doesn't mean he's the best-fitting star player for the Heat. The biggest reason that he's not is because Herro is the type of player that adds value as a third or fourth piece, not necessarily as a No. 1 or 2.
And that's where the Heat finds themselves; they don't have a clear No. 1 option. Bam Adebayo is a really good player in his own right, but he's not a No. 1 option that Miami could easily build around. Because of that, that's forced Herro into a role that has hurt him more than it's helped him.
That's not Herro's fault, but it's certainly something he must deal with.
If the Heat had a clear superstar as a No. 1 option, the conversation would be very different. Herro as a No. 3 option behind a superstar and Bam, and this team would very much be in the championship conversation. That's simply not the case.
It will force Miami to make a very difficult decision, one that would make it an utter disaster for the Heat to give Herro a max contract extension.
Heat need to find their No. 1
There may be a way the Heat can sign Herro to a team-friendly extension, one that wouldn't paralyze this team's financial flexibility heading into the future, but I can't imagine that happening in October. Not after Herro put together an All-Star campaign.
That's probably the reason it's in the best interest of both Heat and Herro to play the long game and kick the can of a contract extension until next summer.
Without a clear No. 1 option on their roster, it would be a huge mistake for Miami to burn all of its financial assets on Herro. One of the worst sins in the modern NBA game is paying a player max money who simply doesn't reflect the value to warrant it.
That's exactly what the Heat would be doing by giving Herro a huge contract before the start of this season.