Tyler Herro may be prepared for life after the Miami Heat if his recent social media activity is any indication.
With Damian Lillard reportedly requesting a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers and naming Miami as his preferred landing spot, Herro has been front and center in trade rumors. The 23-year-old is the type of talented young scorer who often has a lot of value in the NBA.
It’s possible Herro is following the reports about Lillard like everyone else and simply made the social media changes in response to them, or he may have been told by the Heat that he’s no longer a part of their future plans. Either way, it could make for an awkward situation if a deal bringing Lillard to Miami does not come to pass.
Herro reportedly is the headliner of Miami’s trade proposal, which could possibly include Duncan Robinson and draft picks. The Heat would prefer to hold on to Caleb Martin as a complementary player to what would be a Big 3 of Lillard, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, a potential trio that is already frightening some Eastern Conference foes.
Herro has been a worthy contributor in his four seasons with the Heat and averaged 20.1 points per game last season. He was injured in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs and did not play again while Miami made it all the way to the NBA Finals, where it lost to the Denver Nuggets.
His absence allowed for players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus to emerge, and they have taken their increased values elsewhere this offseason, with Vincent heading the Los Angeles Lakers and Strus going to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat haven’t entirely replaced the lost production so far in free agency. They were waiting patiently for Lillard to finally ask for a trade. Now that he has, Herro may be on his way out of Miami.
Another team may have to get involved to make a Lillard trade workable, so Herro might have to wait a little bit longer before again changing his social media to properly reflect his NBA home.