The Orlando Magic, the Miami Heat’s intrastate rival, took a huge swing for the fences on Sunday!
In need of perimeter shooting, the Orlando Magic acquired sharpshooting guard Desmond Bane away from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap. What a haul!
The Magic are coming off a 41-win season, despite enduring myriad injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs. It was a desperate overpay for one of the best shooters in the NBA.
That said, Orlando’s blockbuster further justifies a route the Heat must explore if they don’t plan on paying one particular player this fall.
Heat must explore Tyler Herro’s market:
Last week, I opined that the Miami Heat must learn from a mistake they made with Jimmy Butler last offseason: If you don’t pay Herro, who’s eligible for a $150 million extension in October, you should explore trading him sooner rather than later.
The Heat still has an extra year to decide whether or not to extend their 25-year-old All-Star, but they are at risk of potentially allocating $294 million to Herro and Bam Adebayo through 2028-29.
If Herro doesn’t sign an extension this offseason, he’d be eligible for a four-year, $207 million extension next offseason and, if he made an All-NBA team next season, a $380 million supermax.
While the 6-foot-5 guard was the team’s best offensive player for roughly three quarters of the 2024-25 season, it would behoove the Heat to explore the market, now that it’s set.
You could argue that both players have comparable skill sets. But Bane has four years ($163.2M) left on his contract while Herro has just two. The situations aren’t parallel. You may not net five total first-round picks plus two rotation players for Herro, who is one-and-a-half years younger than Bane.
Herro experienced his greatest year-to-year growth of his career, averaging 23.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists on 47.2 percent shooting and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. He made his first-ever All-Star game and appeared in more than 65 games for just the third time in his six-year career.
While the Heat are in the hunt for 37-year-old superstar Kevin Durant without many assets at their disposal, one way to replenish the treasure chest would be to try to maximize Herro’s value, which may never be higher despite another poor postseason.
You don’t know what Herro’s price would be on the open market if you don’t explore. Sacrifices will have to be made if the Heat acquire Durant. Locking Adebayo, Herro and Durant long-term will be an ill-advised decision that clogs your cap sheet if the end-goal is to compete for a title in this very small window.
The market is the market. Capitalize on it if the opportunity arises. There’s no doubt that Herro has made considerable strides as a player offensively, but this could be a perfect sell-high opportunity for the Heat that they should, at minimum, explore.
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I wonder what Riley can get for Herro, Wiggins and Duncan (since he can be bought out at a $10m savings). That will leave Rozier, Anderson, Highsmith and Love on expiring contracts (which may be valuable around the trade deadline for tanking teams). Hmm?
I can think of several teams that might be interested in one or more of them in exchange for young talent and draft picks.
I’d go another route…Tyler’s move is to take in smaller $$ coz he’s not worth it. Yet. I don’t think Pat will offer him that much anyway. Again that comparison with Butler is way different. One carried the Heat in playoffs, one is just an offensive first option post Jimmy with little to average defense. That Orlando move is yet to be proven a good one and just by making a move people are already “celebrating” it. Remember that Rozier pick up? So let’s just wait it out before we count the chickens.
Totally agree. And the market may not be as strong as we would like even though we would be selling high and that alone should tell you not to put that much money into him as his contract will require.
We should trade Ty, Terry, and Dunc over the next two years. And one of Jovic or JJJ.