Tyler Herro wanted a say in how his Miami Heat career ended, and the chance to play for the Milwaukee Bucks was a move he welcomed.
During a SiriusXM interview with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine on Monday, Herro described wanting a change of scenery and a return to Wisconsin.
The comments add his perspective to the trade that brought Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, explaining why the player leaving South Florida also saw an opportunity in the deal.
In a Sirius XM interview with Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine today, Tyler Herro said "I was kind of pushing" to be traded to Milwaukee to "get a fresh start" and "come home" to Wisconsin, where he grew up. He said the Bucks "will surprise people."
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) October 5, 2026
“I was kind of pushing,” Herro said of being traded to Milwaukee.
Herro wanted to “get a fresh start” and “come home” to Wisconsin, where he grew up.
That is a meaningful addition to the public account of the breakup. Miami’s interest in Antetokounmpo had put Herro’s future in play, but his explanation makes clear that Milwaukee appealed to him for personal reasons as well as the chance to begin again professionally.
His stated preference does not, by itself, establish that he submitted a formal trade request. It does establish that he was receptive to more than simply accepting whichever destination the Heat chose.
Herro revisits the Heat’s February pursuit of Giannis
The interview also returned to the trade deadline, months before the eventual offseason agreement.
Herro described a “lockout day” in Miami because the organization believed an Antetokounmpo deal was going to happen.
Tyler Herro Miami Heat related comments in his interview on Sirius XM
– Taylor Jenkins camp is the same, if not more intense than Coach Spo
– Jokes the Heat aren’t the only team with culture as ‘he was told’
– The Heat held a lockout day at this past deadline because they…
— Heat Central (@TheHeatCentral) October 5, 2026
It should be understood as Herro’s recollection of the atmosphere surrounding the deadline, rather than confirmation that both front offices had completed a transaction that later unraveled.
There was already reporting that Miami had pursued a major deal. In February, Heat Nation covered that everyone except Bam Adebayo had been available in the Heat’s negotiations for Antetokounmpo.
Milwaukee ultimately kept him through the deadline. Placed alongside that earlier reporting, Herro’s account offers a player’s view of the same period.
The Heat’s pursuit was something a central member of the roster was preparing to experience firsthand, even though the deadline passed without the move.
Wanting Milwaukee fits with Herro’s summer message
Herro’s interest in a new start also adds context to the determination he expressed after the trade. Wanting to leave and wanting to prove his value in a different uniform are compatible motivations.
At his August youth camp in Wisconsin, he discussed the edge he intended to bring into the season. Heat Nation covered those comments at the time, including his belief that the feeling extended to Milwaukee’s other arrivals and its coaching staff.
https://twitter.com/LilySZhao/status/2086197396472471763/video/1
“We all have chips on our shoulders,” Herro said in August.
That broader framing matters when assessing Monday’s comments. His summer message included the players who moved with him and the challenge facing their new team.
Reducing it to personal revenge against Miami would leave out the collective motivation he described. The two appearances also address different questions.
In August, Herro was discussing how he intended to approach his next season. On Monday, he explained why the destination had been attractive while a trade was still being considered.
The scorer Miami developed is starting over
Herro’s departure followed a substantial progression with the Heat. He became the franchise’s first Sixth Man of the Year winner in 2022, then developed into a scorer capable of carrying a larger offensive workload.
In the 2024-25 regular season, Herro averaged 23.9 points and 5.5 assists per game across 77 starts, earning his first All-Star selection.
His next season began under different circumstances. In September 2025 that he underwent left ankle surgery, disrupting his preparation for the following campaign.
For the 2025-26 regular season, Herro averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
The scoring difference between those two seasons was 3.4 points per game. Even at the lower average, Miami was moving a player with substantial offensive production, which helps explain why his development in Milwaukee remains relevant to evaluating the exchange.
The Heat’s choice involved giving up established scoring as well as the possibility of further growth. Herro’s desire for the move supplies a personal explanation for his side of the transaction; it does not remove the basketball value Miami surrendered.
Miami’s trade changed more than one player’s future
When the offseason agreement was reported in June, Herro was part of a package that also included Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and draft assets. Bobby Portis moved to Miami with Antetokounmpo.
The NBA’s official transaction tracker lists the trade on July 6. The deadline discussions and the completed offseason transaction therefore belong to separate stages of the story.
For Miami, the result was a change in the players responsible for driving the offense. Saturday’s preseason opener offered an early illustration: Antetokounmpo recorded seven assists in 14 minutes against Toronto, prompting Erik Spoelstra’s comparison to Magic Johnson.
That exhibition cannot settle the value of the trade, but it shows the different kind of creation Miami is now exploring. The Heat are building around Antetokounmpo’s ability to draw attention and distribute, while Herro takes his scoring to the team that acquired him.
Their first regular-season meeting is already on the calendar. Miami’s published schedule has the Heat hosting Milwaukee on Nov. 18.
By then, both teams will have actual regular-season evidence to put alongside the summer decisions. For now, Herro has supplied a clearer account of his own preference: the opportunity Milwaukee offered was one he wanted to pursue.
