One of the more intriuging storylines heading into the 2023-24 NBA season for the Miami Heat is how Tyler Herro will respond. All summer he heard his name in trade rumors as the Heat attempted to acquire star point guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard was far from the only star Pat Riley and company attempted to bring to South Beach, as they also talked to the Washington Wizards about Bradley Beal. When the Milwaukee Bucks ended up landing Lillard, the Heat talked to the Trail Blazers again, this time in talks for Jrue Holiday.
As it turned out, none of those players ended up on the Heat. Beal went to the Phoenix Suns, creating a Big 3 with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Holiday was traded to the Boston Celtics, as the Heat watched two of their biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference both make major moves.
If the Heat are going to reach the level they believe capable, Herro is someone they will be counting on to play a major role. He admitted during the offseason that the trade rumors bothered him, but Riley attempted to clear some of that up on the eve of the regular season.
“We have never shopped him and had no interest in ever trading the guy,” Riley said of Herro. “But when you’re talking about acquiring one of the top five players in the league, there isn’t anybody on our team that won’t be discussed.”
If that is true, the Heat didn’t take negotiations to acquire any of the stars they were connected to seriously. Lacking draft capital and tradeable contracts, Herro needed to be involved in all trade negotiations to get a deal done. If Miami felt that strongly about Herro, that is why none of those All-Stars are currently on the roster.
Heading into Year 5 of Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo being the core of the team, the Heat will be looking to get over the hump once again. They have gotten close, winning the Eastern Conference two times in the last four years.
But, there are some major holes to fill from last season’s roster. Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, two key members of their lineup last season, departed in free agency. Replacing them will not be easy, but an improvement on both sides of the ball from Herro would go a long way in helping.