Tyler Herro made a rapid impression on the Miami Heat after being selected in the 2019 draft. He demonstrated a fearless approach in crucial situations and huge moments even as a rookie. His ability to make plays and shoot long range soon made him a valuable member of the team.

Regretfully, Herro hasn’t managed to make that breakthrough yet; years have gone by since that first season. An argument might be made that he peaked in the 2021–2022 NBA season, when he won Sixth Man of the Year. Despite averaging 20.7 points in that season, Herro failed to surpass 20 points in any of his subsequent two season averages.

Herro’s rise with the Heat has finally been hampered by injuries.

In each of his five seasons, he has not participated in more than 67 games. Due to injury, he missed the majority of the postseason in two of the Heat’s most recent postseason runs. He was hindered by a hamstring injury in 2022, which prevented him from playing in the most of the Eastern Conference finals. He broke his hand in the first round’s first game in 2023, and he missed the entire postseason season.

Fans have reason to think Herro may not be as important to the Heat’s success as they think because his absences haven’t prevented the team from winning games throughout the years. Here are three reasons the Miami front management ought to end the Herro timeline at this point.

1. Not eager to fill in as a sixth player

Over Herro’s five-year career, the Heat are 93-49 when he comes off the bench. They are 73-67, which is a dismal record to begin with. Stats show that the squad might be better off with Herro as a sixth man, and that is a sizable sample size for every scenario of his role in Miami.

After all, a few seasons prior, Herro easily won the title of Sixth Man of the Year in the league. He is capable of carrying out this position and influencing Miami to win. The Heat were the top overall seed in the East that same season that he filled that post. Herro’s scoring obviously gave the second unit, which was led by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, some much-needed balance.

With him as a starter in each of the next two seasons, the Heat have barely made it into the postseason as a play-in team. Herro has demonstrated an unwillingness to accept a sixth man’s role, stating multiple times in recent years that he is aware of his status as a “starter in this league.” At this point, it may be evident what is best for the team.

2. Flexibility with money

Over the course of Butler’s five-year tenure, the Heat have found it difficult to remain financially flexible. When Herro inked a substantial contract extension in 2023, it became much harder to do so. When Herro signed a long-term contract, Pat Riley showed faith in him as a player, but the truth is that Miami has been constrained by his roughly $30 million yearly pay.

The financial loss would have been less severe if his performance had merited his large compensation (which will be discussed later). However, it is a hardship to have a player earning the third-highest wage on a team that has had trouble maintaining health and producing at a high level. Over the past two offseasons, the Heat have had little to no cap room available to them to bolster their squad.

They were far into the second apron, especially last year. Because of the new CBA, being embroiled in such grave cap straights imposes numerous restrictions. A mere 5 million dollars a year reduction in Herro’s salary would have made a significant difference in giving the Heat some much-needed breathing room.

3. Reliability/Damages

Over the years, Herro’s consistency—in both his performance and his health—has been a real issue. Herro has been “fragile,” Riley said in his press conference at the end of the season. Of the 82 games played last season, he saw action in a career-low 42 games. The best quality in this regard is availability, and he has shown that he cannot be counted on to be there.

Herro has found it difficult to be reliable even when he is available and playing. His shooting percentage, which has been about 44% over the past two seasons, isn’t what a $30 million player should be. His 20.8 points per game come from 17.5 field goals, which is far from optimal. Herro was at last fully healthy during the previous postseason, having missed the entire 2023 campaign.

When healthy, the combo guard only played well in two of the seven total playoff and play-in games, failing to take advantage of his opportunity.

Herro is without a doubt a highly skilled and divisive player. But there are a number of problems with this. Considering that he is only 24 years old, the upcoming season may offer him a second chance to finally improve both his physical and all-around performance on the court.

Wrist waived by Miami Heat, Summer League standout signed a two-way contract

The Miami Heat announced on Thursday that Josh Christopher had signed a two-way deal and that Zyon Pullin had been waived.

Christopher, the MVP of the summer league championship, played a significant role in the Heat’s victory in the summer league held in Las Vegas. Over Miami’s six-game schedule, he shot 54.1% overall and 52.5% on threes, and he averaged 19.3 points, three rebounds, 1.8 assists, and two steals per game. In Monday’s championship game against the Memphis Grizzlies, he not only got three thefts and two blocks but also scored a team-high 24 points.

The Heat were persuaded to sign Christopher to a two-way contract by that alone. The Houston Rockets selected Christopher, a 6-foot-4 guard with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, with the 24th overall choice in the 2021 NBA Draft. After two seasons after being dismissed by the Rockets, he briefly played for the Grizzlies and Utah Jazz before agreeing to sign with the Heat’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls, which opened the door for him to be added to Miami’s summer league squad.

OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT announced today that they have signed guard Josh Christopher to a Two-Way Contract and waived guard Zyon Pullin. pic.twitter.com/0wHXHUJhMy

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) July 25, 2024

With a solid summer league campaign that showcased both his improved one-on-one defense and his inherent scoring ability, Christopher earned the two-way.

He replaces Pullin, who signed a two-way contract with the Heat after being selected out of Florida without being selected. The point guard ultimately lost his starting position to another summer-league sensation, point guard Isaiah Stevens, after failing to make an impression in Las Vegas.

Keshad Johnson, Dru Smith, and Christopher are the current three two-way players for the Heat. With an ankle sprain, Johnson missed the last three summer league games, but he seems to be a certainty for one of the two-way berths. Smith did not take part in summer league since he is currently rehabbing from an ACL tear.

Perhaps the Heat is not over. The team can trade out its two-way spots at any moment, despite the fact that they are unable to add a fifteenth player to a regular roster spot without exceeding the second tax apron. Both the luxury tax and the salary cap are unaffected by two-way contracts.

Stevens, Cole Swider, and Alondes Williams are a few more players who could be handed a two-way spot if they do well in summer league.