A potential extension for Tyler Herro will probably wait until the Heat have more clarity on the Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell trade situations, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro is eligible for a rookie scale extension until the day before the 2022/23 regular season begins. If he and the team can’t agree on terms, he will become a restricted free agent next offseason.
Miami would likely have to include Herro in any package for Durant or Mitchell, but if he has an extension already in place, he would be subject to the “poison pill provision” until next July 1. That means if he’s traded between the time the extension is signed and when it takes effect, Herro’s trade value for the team that acquires him would be the average of the salaries of the final year of his rookie contract and each year of the extension. However, the outgoing salary for Miami would only be $5.7MM, which is what he will make next season.
Herro, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and the Heat’s second leading scorer last season at 20.7 PPG, has been mentioned prominently in trade rumors with both the Nets and Jazz. Neither of those teams appear to be in a hurry to unload their stars, so Herro’s wait for an extension could drag all the way into the fall.
There’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The length of Duncan Robinson‘s contract may limit his value to the Heat on the trade market, suggests Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Robinson is signed for the next three seasons at $16.9MM, $18.2MM and $19.4MM and he has a 50% guarantee on his $19.9MM salary for 2025/26. That adds up to about $65MM in guaranteed money, Winderman notes, which is a large investment for a player coming off a down season.
- Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports takes an inside look at the Magic’s draft night surprise, which even caught No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero off guard. Banchero said he met with Orlando officials at the draft combine, but throughout most of the process he expected to fall to the Rockets with the third pick. “All the reports were that they weren’t really considering me,” he said. “And then they made it clear before the draft that none of those reports were true and that they were very much interested in me. And so that’s when I kind of knew that it might not be Houston.”
- After going undrafted out of North Carolina, Brady Manek is hoping to be considered for an open two-way slot with the Hornets, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. Manek considered several possibilities before accepting a Summer League invitation from Charlotte. “I just wanted to get a chance just to be able to play, get to show what I’m about,” Manek said. “I’ve shown what I’m about. I’m not going to become a point guard overnight. I’m still Brady. I’m still going to be able to shoot it.”