NBA Trade Rumors: After a surprisingly strong start to the season, the Miami Heat should look to trade Tyler Herro.
Through the first 10 games of the regular season, the Miami Heat are essentially what most expected them to be. They're 4-6 and continue to find creative ways to lose games. Jimmy Butler is already battling injury concerns and the backcourt, led by Terry Rozier, doesn't appear as it fits together. Bam Adebayo has been asked to play an odd role so far this season and is on pace to have his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time starter. In short, there are fires everywhere for the Heat and the fire department is not on the way.
If there is one saving grace for the team so far this season, it's the play of Tyler Herro. Finally playing like an All-Star-caliber player, Herro has been the only impressive thing about the Heat so far this year. Despite his strong start to the season, it may be too little, too late for Herro and the Heat. Instead of building off this strong start to the year for Herro, the Heat should be looking for ways to capitalize on it by jump-starting their rebuild.
With two years remaining on his contract after this season, the Heat should use his hot start to the year to try and trade him before the NBA Trade Deadline. With the way things are trending for the Heat, changes are likely coming. And if Herro's trade value is currently at an all-time high, it would make no sense for Miami to keep him on the roster. The Heat is going nowhere and it's time to sell.
The Miami Heat are starring down a likely rebuild
With how the team is currently built and with how they've been struggling so far this season, all signs are pointing to a possible rebuild. Whether the Heat want to believe it or not, this is not a team that is likely going to easily be able to retool on the fly. With the contracts they have on their books, if the Heat does want to pivot in a new direction, a complete rebuild is likely the only effective way forward.
And while that path would likely start with a Jimmy Butler trade, it will almost certainly get to a point where a decision has to be made on Herro. For as good as he's been this season, he's been a pretty disappointing player for the Heat overall. Whether it's due to injuries, playing out of position, or coming up short in playoff games; for what the Heat believed Herro to be, he's left much to be desired.
To a certain extent, that's not even Herro's fault. The Heat set him up to fail and now that his trade value is slowly being rebuilt, the team can't make the same mistake again. After years of miscalculating the Heerro situation, Miami needs to take advantage of the small window they may have right now to trade him. My fear and concern is that the Heat won't. And, instead, Miami will view Herro's play this season as a potential sign of the future. While that may be the case, the Heat's roster isn't in a position where they're ready to contend.
Even if Herro becomes this All-Star player, the Heat has proven this season that they're very much a team that needs to undergo a complete facelift. Herro has been a good story, but the Heat's championship window is closed. And when that happens, the natural next step is almost always a rebuild. It's time for the Heat's front office to realize that. Herro has been a great story to an otherwise disappointing start to the season for the Heat. But it hasn't changed the reality for the team; that a rebuild is very much in the cards.