MIAMI – When the 2023 NBA Finals ended, Tyler Herro assumed he was on the clock.
After witnessing the Miami Heat make a historic run to the finals without him, Herro figured it was only a matter of time before his name would get thrown around in trade rumors.
“I had a pretty good feeling in my mind that something was going to happen this summer,” Herro told The Athletic during a sitdown interview Tuesday after a Heat preseason practice. “Either way, whether it was with (Damian Lillard) or not. Just based on the run we made without me, I thought that was enough for me to not be here anymore. I know the business is what it is.”
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The last couple months had been an emotional rollercoaster for Herro. It started when he broke the third and fourth metacarpals in his right hand in Game 1 of Miami’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks. Five days later, the Heat announced that Herro had surgery on his injured hand and he’d be sidelined for at least six weeks.
Herro figured his playoff run was over almost immediately after it started. After all, the Heat barely squeezed their way into the No. 8 seed after a rocky regular season and a loss in the first round of the Play-In Tournament against the Atlanta Hawks. They earned a close win over the Chicago Bulls to qualify for the playoffs, but this just meant their consolation prize was a series against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the top-seeded Bucks.
Herro was devastated. Not just for himself, but also for his teammates. In his mind, getting bounced by the Bucks in the first round – the same way they were two seasons earlier – would probably result in Miami’s front office making some tough decisions to change the roster. And he couldn’t do anything about it.
Instead, the Heat kept stacking up wins over higher seeds. What once seemed impossible turned into yet another tale of Heat Culture beating the odds. Except this time, Herro was stuck on the outside looking in as his teammates overcame every hurdle.
“It was tough emotionally. My mind was set on making a good playoff run,” Herro admitted. “When I first got hurt, everybody was like, ‘No way he’s coming back.’ We were the eighth seed, going against the Bucks. Then, we beat them. We knew we were gonna beat the Knicks. Then, Boston was a great series. I was just waiting for that series to see what was gonna happen – if I had any hope of coming back (during the playoffs).”
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As Miami advanced through the playoffs, Herro’s despair transformed into a burning desire to rejoin his team’s magical run. Though Herro kept ramping up his workload, it became clear his hand wasn’t ready for game action. All he could do was support his team from the sidelines as it eventually fell to the Denver Nuggets in the finals.
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That was challenging enough. But what surprised Herro was how the narrative of his importance to the team shifted as it continued to succeed without him.
Conversations like, “Are the Heat better off without Herro?” became a daily talking point on sports programs nationwide. Instead of being the snarling game-changer he was during Miami’s finals run in the 2020 Bubble, more of the outside world viewed him as a player his team needed to subtract to reach its full potential. That talk grew even louder as Miami entered the offseason facing increased pressure to get over the hump as Jimmy Butler entered the latter years of his prime.
Soon, those whispers about Herro’s future in Miami would turn into alarm sirens.
In July, Lillard informed the Portland Trail Blazers that he wanted to be traded, and his preference was to be dealt to the Heat. Butler and Bam Adebayo were clearly off the table, so any trade that landed Lillard in Miami would have to include Herro and his $27 million salary for the 2023-24 season.
The drama dragged on the whole summer. While Lillard and his representatives did what they could behind the scenes to shun other potential suitors, Portland made it clear that it wasn’t interested in adding Herro to a group that already included several prominent young guards. Tensions grew between the two sides as Portland thwarted all offers from Miami.
Meanwhile, Herro was left in limbo, uncertain what his future might hold. He said he barely heard from anyone with the Heat front office or any of his teammates as rumors swirled. He assumed he’d be with a new team once the season started, but had no idea which one.
“I always wanted to be here (in Miami), but it was something new coming every day,” Herro said. “I just kept telling myself to be patient until the Dame stuff was settled.”
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The daily speculation seeped into every aspect of Herro’s life. He couldn’t escape it. Every trip to the airport was followed by speculation from onlookers. Where was he going? Was he catching a flight to the next city he’d call home? Nearly every time he was seen out in the Miami area, fans ran up to ask him if he was staying or leaving. “I’d always tell them I have no idea,” he said.
“Having to deal with that every day and so much uncertainty, it was tough,” Herro continued. “But me and the fans here have a really good connection. They know I don’t want to leave. But it is what it is.”
As the start of the season crept closer with no resolution in sight, the conversation shifted again. Now, it became about Herro’s value, at least compared to other potential Lillard offers. Was Herro nearly good enough to be considered the centerpiece of a Lillard deal? As Jay-Z once said, Herro quickly “went from the favorite to the most hated.”
That turn surprised him, considering how much he’s done to improve his game during his four seasons as a pro. Since 2000, Herro’s one of 14 players 23 or younger to average 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in a single season while playing at least 60 games – and he did it twice. The only other player on that list to not make an All-Star team is Tyreke Evans.
“I know I’m a good basketball player. I know the work I put in,” Herro said. “It’s always changing. At first, they said I couldn’t be a 20-point scorer. Then, I became a 20-point scorer, now I’m just a scorer. And my assist and rebound numbers go up every year. No one can put a ceiling or a cap on my value because every year I get better.”
Finally, reality set in for Herro that he would be sticking with the Heat. Lillard was dealt to Milwaukee, and Jrue Holiday was subsequently traded to the Boston Celtics. While this was the outcome Herro wanted all along, he knew he needed to have some tough discussions with Heat brass to hash out exactly what happened over the summer and lay out his future with the franchise.
Before the start of training camp, Herro sat one-on-one with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra to clear the air. In the meeting, Spoelstra expressed how much he values Herro’s presence on the team and how important Herro will be for the Heat’s success this season.
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“He’s so skilled and he can do it on the ball (and) off the ball. His reads are getting better and better each year,” Spoelstra said of Herro after Miami’s preseason win over Memphis on Sunday. “Our offense looks a lot different when he’s on the court. … He wants to be great. He wants to win.”
That vote of confidence has spurred a resurgent Herro. In his brief action this preseason, Herro is averaging 26 points, four rebounds and 4.5 assists per game, showing how much he can add to a Heat offense that finished 25th in points scored per 100 possessions last regular season.
Amid the many trade rumors this summer, Herro worked on being more efficient with his scoring opportunities and more aggressive when he sees openings to get to the basket. He’s already proven he can score against NBA defenses. Now, he wants to show he can do it while shooting a higher percentage from the field and increasing his free-throw attempts. And, above all, doing it on a team that wins.
Herro’s teammates have noticed the work he’s put in.
“He’s so efficient now. Using less dribbles. Not trying to do too much. He just gets straight to his points and straight to his shots,” Adebayo said. “(Hard work is) the standard around here. You see how he’s changed his work ethic just from talking to him. The lifts at 5 a.m. He goes to the court at 10 (a.m.) and does extra after that. We’re looking to get over that mountaintop.”
As Herro and the Heat enter a pivotal season, it’d be understandable if Herro was inspired by proving all his doubters wrong after everything that happened since his hand injury. To Herro, though, it’s more about proving himself right.
“I don’t feel like I have anything to prove to anybody. It’s about showing people my value. My worth hasn’t decreased since I broke my hand,” Herro said.
“I don’t like hearing good things about me anyway,” he continued. “I like when people say I can’t do something. It just puts more fuel on the fire.”
(Top photo: Eric Espana / NBAE via Getty Images)