Getty Tyler Herro #14 of the Miami Heat looks on during the third quarter against the San Antonio Spurs
Tyler Herro has spent the summer in trade discussions and for much of his time with the Miami Heat. Ultimately, the Heat have been hesitant to include the Sixth Man of the Year Award winner in any actual trades. Now the Heat have decisions to make in regards to signing the shooting guard long-term with extension talks looming.
With this being the time for extension talks likely happening now, Herro turned heads with a cryptic social media post that read, “know ur worth n don’t take good people for granted.” While it isn’t confirmed that it has anything to do with contract negotiation talks, the timing seems to point to that. One NBA executive shared a warning with Heavy.com that the Heat may want to get an extension done sooner rather than later.
Eastern Conference Executive on Herro Extension
One Eastern Conference Executive tells Heavy.com that if Herro and the Heat are unable to get a deal done before the season that he would worry. Not only because it sours the relationship but can also affect playing styles.
“They’ll need Herro to come down, to take something in the range of what (R.J.) Barrett got in New York. Might be a little bit more. Herro’s been a playoff performer and, really, they do need him. Like a lot of guys, the thing that would worry me is that if you don’t come to an extension deal, it sours things between him and the team. That’s always the thing with these extensions. Both sides want to have confidence in each other. If he does not get a deal, I would be worried about how he plays this season — he might try to do too much, be less of a willing passer, slack on defense so he can focus on putting up his own numbers,” said the Eastern Conference Executive.
If there is any weight to Herro’s cryptic social media post, the executive’s cause for concern of a relationship souring seems valid. Noting that he may try to do too much to prioritize his own numbers is an interesting. Herro averaged a career-high 4 assists per game this season for the Heat and is a vital playmaker for the Heat’s second unit. If Herro were to be a less willing passer, it could certainly alter the success of the Heat’s season.
Heat Feel No Urgency to Extend Herro
While the Eastern Conference Executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveney, that he would worry to not have Herro extended going into the season, Ira Winderman noted in an August 18 column that the Heat feel no urgency to extend Herro before the October 18 deadline.
“Keep in mind that if the Heat wait on an extension, it means Tyler Herro remains trade eligible at any point during the season, potentially a chip to put in play at the February NBA trading deadline. The risk is losing Tyler as a restricted free agent next summer. But that also almost never happens, as evidenced this summer with the Suns and Deandre Ayton. Either way, it appears it will be a decision that will come much closer to the Oct. 18 extension deadline. There simply is no urgency from the Heat’s perspective at the moment,” Winderman wrote.
Will the Heat move quicker to sign Herro long-term? Will the decision be made into the season? Time will tell, but after a number of trade rumors and ongoing extension talks hopefully, the relationship between both sides can be properly managed.