Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro was in trade rumors for just about the entire offseason as the Heat were looking to acquire former Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.
According to Wes Goldberg of The Ringer, Herro spoke to Udonis Halsem, his former teammate on the Heat, nearly every day as rumors made the rounds.
“You’ve been here for four years, two Finals, Sixth Man of the Year,” Haslem told Herro. “All that stuff in four years is more than some dudes accomplish in their whole career.”
The University of Kentucky product offered some insight into what those conversations were like.
“He wasn’t really trying to butter it up like ‘Oh, you might be coming back,’” Herro said. “He was like, ‘Yeah, you’re gone. And if you are gone, let’s not, like, feel disappointed.’ It was real. And I appreciate him for that.”
It was undoubtedly tough for the former first-round pick to have to go through another round of trade rumors, but he was certainly happy once it was confirmed that Lillard would be joining the Milwaukee Bucks instead of the Heat.
Herro is looking to take a step forward for the Heat this season after recording 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game last season. He was set to be a key contributor for Miami in the 2023 playoffs, but he sustained a hand injury in the first game of the first round against the Bucks and didn’t appear in another game during the Heat’s run.
All summer long, the 23-year-old was posting videos of him in the gym working on his craft and getting stronger. Early returns have been positive so far, as he’s averaged 26.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game while knocking down 48.8 percent of his shots from the field and 42.9 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in two preseason games.
Miami will need Herro to improve a decent amount if it wants any chance at making some noise this season. With Lillard, the Bucks are arguably the favorites to win it all. The Boston Celtics also got significantly better by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Thomas Bryant and Josh Richardson are two solid veteran additions, but the Heat didn’t make any groundbreaking moves. Only time will tell if they have enough to be among the best of the best.