Tyler Herro's play - or lack thereof - may have quietly answered the questions about his future with the Miami Heat for them. At this point, I can't see how the Heat can afford to confidently give him a long-term extension.
Heading into the start of the season, one of the bigger questions for the Heat revolved around Herro's future. After passing on an extension before the season, the Heat needed Herro to (with all due respect) prove his worth to them.
In many ways, this season effectively was going to be a "prove-it" year for Herro. If he wanted that rich, long-term extension, a strong year was going to go a long way in earning it.
Tyler Herro has had a season to forget
So far this season, he hasn't done much of that. Instead of proving his value to the Heat, he's missed 36 out of the team's 47 regular-season games. Even when he has been healthy and available, the Heat has mightily struggled in those games. With Herro, the Heat is just 4-7.
I wouldn't go all the way to say that the Heat have been better without Herro this season, because that would certainly be going too far in that assessment, but it's also hard to dignify Herro as a significant difference-maker for Miami this year.
And that's the biggest problem the Heat may be facing when trying to justify a huge contract extension.
If the Heat were going to offer Herro a contract extension, even at just a slight raise at what he's currently making, that would place him in the $35-40 million per year range. With the type of season that Herro has had this year, that could be one of those franchise-defining mistakes for Miami.
Especially as the Heat continues to search for a superstar, there's very little reasoning in giving Herro the big extension now.
The Heat entered this season with understandable questions about Herro's future. Unless the front office is seeing something that we're not, you'd almost have to assume that a contract extension isn't coming for Herro. At least not yet.
Ideally, Herro is going to be part of a huge trade package for Giannis Antetokounmpo at the NBA Trade Deadline or during the offseason. But even if that doesn't happen, there's no question we could truly be witnessing the beginning of the end of Herro in a Heat uniform.
It is unfortunate because it does feel as if injuries have played a big part in Herro's disastrous season. But even beyond that, there's very little evidence to suggest that the Heat was ever going to feel comfortable in giving Herro the extension that he's likely looking for.
Herro still has one full year left on his contract, so I suppose he can still prove himself next year, but it's pretty obvious that this disastrous season has done him no favors to prove that he's worthy of a big contract extension offer from the Heat.