Tyler Herro

Heat Notes: Cap Sheet, Herro, Optimism, Jovic

By trading Jimmy Butler, the Heat have created more cap flexibility for this offseason, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes.

Miami now has $176.2MM committed to 12 players for next season, approximately $11MM below the projected $187.9MM luxury tax threshold. However, that figure doesn’t include restricted free agent guard Davion Mitchell and rookie forward Keshad Johnson’s $1.9MM team option, nor does it account for the salary for either of the first-round picks they might have.

The Heat could free up an additional $10MM by shedding Duncan Robinson‘s partially-guaranteed contract but it could also be used to help facilitate a trade. In any case, the team doesn’t have to worry about Butler exercising his $52.4MM option, which he declined in order to sign a two-year extension with Golden State.

We have more on the Heat:

  • Tyler Herro won the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend and also participated in the revamped All-Star Game format. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity. “I broke like not even a half sweat. But it was a great experience all weekend, just to be here from Friday to Sunday night. Just super grateful to be here,” Herro told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald.
  • Though the Heat entered the All-Star break with a four-game losing streak and three games under .500, there’s hope for a strong finish, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel writes. The Butler drama is over and there’s more depth with the additions of Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Mitchell. The bigger lineup featuring Ke’lel Ware and Bam Adebayo also gives the club a new dimension.
  • In his latest mailbag, Winderman notes that Nikola Jovic has not blossomed as hoped. He’s sometimes guilty of trying to do too much, Winderman writes. An even bigger issue is that he does not play to his size, as he tries to get by too often by finesse instead of power.

Heat Notes: Herro, Highsmith, Durant

Heat guard Tyler Herro earned his first All-Star nod in 2024/25. He also won his first three-point contest on Saturday night, defeating Buddy Hield and Darius Garland in the final round.

As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel writes, Herro has displayed a different level of maturity this season after dealing with trade rumors for much of his career. He credits an improved mental approach for his excellent season.

I think it comes with being OK with everything, trying to be at peace,” Herro said. “I try to work on myself off the court just as much as I was working on the court. So just being at peace, having my kids, my girl, I’ve got everything I need. So just being able to stay present.”

The 25-year-old sharpshooter said becoming an All-Star has long been a goal of his, so he was thrilled to be selected for the first time, Winderman adds.

I’ve always wanted to be an All-Star,” he said. “I think I said that from the very beginning, not selfishly, but just trying to be ambitious in my own way. I’m a hard worker, so I feel when I’m able to put my mind on something, I usually go get what I want. So that’s usually how I try to do it. And All-Star was one of my goals coming into the league.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • Herro brought his family and friends with him to All-Star weekend, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, who takes a look at the former lottery pick’s journey to achieve his goal. “Just spending it with my family, getting a break,” Herro said when asked what he’s looking forward to the most this weekend. “Just seeing all my people there and being able to experience it with them.”
  • Haywood Highsmith‘s playing time has dwindled of late. Is there still room for him in the rotation after the trade additions of Andrew Wiggins and Kyle Anderson? Winderman examines that question in a subscriber-only mailbag.
  • Is it inevitable that Kevin Durant will once again be linked to the Heat when the summer rolls around? Winderman weighs in on that topic for The Sun Sentinel, noting that while there still seems to be mutual interest between the two sides, Miami also wasn’t willing to part with the young players and draft capital the Suns were seeking before the trade deadline.

Three-Peat For Mac McClung In Dunk Contest

Mac McClung ensured his place alongside the other legends in NBA dunk contest history by winning the event for the third straight time Saturday night.

McClung got perfect scores on all four of his dunks and was a clear favorite of the Chase Center crowd. His final-round victory came over Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who registered a 99.6 score with two impressive slams of his own. Andre Jackson Jr. and Matas Buzelis were eliminated in the first round.

McClung brought some excitement to the event on his first dunk when he leaped over a car and threw the ball down behind his head. He followed that by jumping over his dunk coach for a twisting slam, then dunked two balls at once — one held by a friend on a spinning hoverboard and another by a man on a ladder — and finished off the night by jumping over 6’11” Evan Mobley (who was standing on a small platform) and touching the ball against the rim before slamming it home (video collection via YouTube).

At a press conference following the event, McClung deflected a question on whether the three-peat means he should be considered the greatest dunker of all time (Twitter video link from Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic).

“I definitely don’t think that’s something for me to say,” McClung responded. “… I was just extremely honored to be part of this weekend. The biggest thing is I genuinely love this contest, and I’m very honored to be here and just very appreciative.” 

McClung is on a two-way contract with the Magic and has only made one brief appearance in an NBA game this season. He plays for Osceola in the G League and has never been able to break through at the NBA level, getting into five total games with four teams since 2021.

McClung’s performance got the attention of other players around the league, including a couple of stars who hinted that they may consider participating in future dunk contests. Grizzlies guard Ja Morant tweeted, “Mac might make me decide to dunk,” and Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo responded, “If you do it. I’ll do it with you,” later adding, “I just gotta to warm up for three weeks prior to the contest.”

Damian Lillard missed the chance for another three-peat on Saturday, being eliminated in the first round of the Three-Point Contest after winning the event the past two years. Tyler Herro claimed this year’s crown by a point over Buddy Hield, with Darius Garland finishing third.

“I was definitely nervous going into the first round. But I thought I shot it pretty well in the second round, and then Buddy had the chance to tie it at the end,” Herro told reporters, including Joe Vardon of The Athletic. “Obviously a great competition, a bunch of great shooters. … Also, it felt cold in the arena the first time I went. For the second time, I felt more loose going right away.”

Mobley teamed with fellow Cavaliers All-Star Donovan Mitchell to capture the Skills Challenge in the night’s first event.

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Wiggins, Rozier, Adebayo, Herro, Mitchell

The All-Star break came at a good time for the Heat. They have lost four straight contests and 11 of their last 16, dropping them three games below .500.

The Heat took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City, then was outscored 32-8 in the final frame. On Thursday, they fell 118-113 to a depleted Dallas squad that was missing its entire starting five due to injuries.

“Everybody understands the urgency right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “There’s not a man in that locker room that doesn’t understand it. We’re disappointed, we’re frustrated. This is humbling.”

We have more out of Miami:

  • The Heat were far from full strength in the loss to the Mavericks. Only 10 players were available with Andrew Wiggins missing the game due to a stomach illness after playing 34 minutes the previous night. Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier have also missed recent games due to the same stomach bug, Chiang notes. Rozier also sat out Thursday’s game, as did Bam Adebayo. The latter was sidelined by a left knee contusion after posting 27 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes the previous night.
  • Adebayo expressed exasperation after the late collapse against the Thunder. It was the 13th time this season Miami lost a game after leading by double digits. “It’s one of those things, man, it’s a lesson,” he told Chiang. “But how many times we got to keep learning this lesson? And it’s not just the players, it’s the coaches, as well. We got to understand that we got to all be on the same page.”
  • Herro told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel a sense of urgency is required at all times in order for the club to turn things around. “This is important,” he said. “This needs to matter to everybody in this locker room every single day, every single night, every single film session, shootaround, walkthrough, everything. I think that’s something that we also have to continue to improve at. The games aren’t the only thing that matter. Everything matters. Walkthroughs, like I said. And then just taking care of each other, helping each other, spending time with each other. We just need to get on the same page going into these last 30 games.”
  • While the addition of Davion Mitchell gave the Heat a much-needed, point-of-attack backcourt defender, they still lack a definitive play-maker, Winderman writes in his latest mailbag. The subtraction of Jimmy Butler adds to the problem because Herro and Adebayo must focus more on scoring than play-making.

NBA Announces Three-Point Contest, Skills Challenge Participants

The NBA has officially announced the participants for the All-Star Saturday festivities in San Francisco on February 15, revealing today (via Twitter) which players will compete in the three-point contest and the skills challenge. Here are the details:

Three-Point Contest:

Among this year’s participants, Powell (43.1%), Garland (42.9%), and Johnson (41.7%) have been the most accurate three-point shooters so far this season, while Herro (39.3% on 9.7 attempts per game) has been the most prolific.

Lillard won the event in both 2023 and 2024 and will be looking to become the first player since Craig Hodges in 1992 to claim the three-point title for a third consecutive year. Larry Bird was also a three-time winner, having achieved the feat in the first three years the NBA held the event (1986-88).

Hield is the only other player in this year’s field to have won the contest before, having done so in 2020. The Warriors wing will be the home team’s representative next Saturday.

Skills Challenge:

It appears the NBA will be tweaking the format of the skills challenge again in 2025, with the event set to feature four teams of two players apiece instead of three players per team.

Mobley was part of the Cavs team that won the event in 2022, along with Jarrett Allen and Garland. He’ll be teaming up with Mitchell this time around.

The NBA also officially confirmed the participants of the dunk contest earlier this week (Twitter link). Those four players, who had been previously reported, are Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis, Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, Bucks guard Andre Jackson, and Magic two-way guard Mac McClung.

Like Lillard in the three-point contest, McClung will be looking to three-peat in his event next Saturday night.

NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Game Rosters

The 24 players selected for the 2025 All-Star Game were drafted on a Thursday pre-game TNT show by coaches Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith, and later announced by the NBA (Twitter link).

The players were previously sorted into groups of starters and reserves, but that had no bearing on their team placement for the new mini-tournament in this year’s game.

Below are each team’s selections, sorted in order of pick:

Team Shaq

O’Neal had the first overall pick in the televised draft, selecting James, who holds the record for most All-Star appearances in a career. For the most part, O’Neal opted for the “old guard” of the NBA, so to speak. His team has a whopping 87 All-Star appearances (including this year) among its eight players.

The roster also unites a handful of players. Durant spent this week in trade rumors, with reports indicating he didn’t want to be traded to Curry’s Warriors. The two players were teammates for three seasons. This also will mark the first time James and Davis will play together since the blockbuster move that brought Doncic to L.A. Additionally, Curry, James, Durant, Tatum and Davis all played together on the 2024 U.S. men’s Olympic Team.

Team Kenny

In contrast to O’Neal’s roster, Smith opted for some of the younger stars across the league. Smith’s team has a combined 13 All-Star nods to their name — Williams, Mobley, Cunningham and Herro are all first-timers. Smith united a pair of Cavaliers, with Mobley and Garland joining forces.

Team Chuck

Barkley went for a mix of experience in his group. He secured the top three expected players in the MVP race this season between Jokic, Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander. He also landed Wembanyama with the 12th overall pick. Barkley’s group has a combined 35 All-Star honors, with Sengun and Wembanyama as first-time All-Stars and Antetkounmpo (nine) and Jokic (seven) leading the way.

A fourth team coached by Candace Parker will play in the tournament. She’ll be coaching whichever team wins this year’s Rising Stars Challenge — those rosters were announced earlier this week. Two teams will meet in a semifinal (game one) while the other two also play each other (game two). The winning team from each game moves on to the final round.

The four teams participating in the NBA All-Star Game will compete for a prize pool of $1.8 million. Each player on the team that wins the final will receive $125,000, while members of the second-place team earn $50,000. Players on the third- and fourth-place teams will receive $25,000.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Castleton, Caporn

Heat guard Tyler Herro was named an All-Star for the first time in his career on Thursday night. He beat out the likes of Atlanta’s Trae Young, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey for a spot as one of the East’s guards, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

I’m truly proud of Tyler because there’s been a lot of media that have thrown that man’s name in the mud,” teammate Bam Adebayo said. “Y’all have thrown his name in trade rumors, y’all have said he’s not good enough, he can’t do this and he can’t do that, all the way down to somebody’s wingspan. So just looking at it from that standpoint and understanding how great Tyler can be, it’s a testament to him and how he’s really worked on his body, how he’s really prepared himself for moments like this.

Herro has been one of the most durable Heat players this season and he’s averaging career highs in points (24.1), rebounds (5.6), and assists (5.4) per game, as well as field goal percentage (47.4%), three-point percentage (40.0%) and three-point attempts per game (9.7). Herro will also be taking part in the NBA’s three-point contest on All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 15.

“I feel like throughout the years, people thought it would come faster, sooner than this,” Herro said. “But I think the time that we put in every year, every summer, it finally paid off and it was a lot of different trials and tribulations, back and forths with [head coach Erik Spoelstra], what I need to work on every single year. But I always just came in and tried to get better every single day.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • While the trade deadline and Jimmy Butler saga are dominating headlines in the short term, Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel writes the Heat have a decision to make later this year on Herro, who will become eligible for an extension as of Oct. 1. While that’s still a way out, it will be interesting to see if that extension is put on the table immediately and whether Miami will be willing to offer the full three-year, $150MM deal Herro will be eligible for.
  • Former Grizzlies two-way center Colin Castleton landed with the Magic‘s G League affiliate in Osceola, The Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede observes (subscriber link). Castleton appeared in 10 games with the Grizzlies this year, averaging 1.4 points per game in very limited playing time. The Florida product is hoping to get back into the NBA through his time with Osceola. In 17 G League games, he’s averaging 15.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per night.
  • Basketball Australia’s general manager Jason Smith has flown to the United States to meet with both Hawks coach Quin Snyder and Wizards assistant Adam Caporn, NBA insider Jake Fischer reports. Both are major candidates in Australia’s search for a new head coach. We wrote about the Boomers’ interest in Snyder last week. Caporn was born in Australia, playing professionally with Wollongong and Perth. After retiring from his playing days, he has spent time as an assistant with Saint Mary’s, the Nets (and as head coach of their G League affiliate), and now the Wizards. He has also served as assistant for Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.

Heat Notes: Fox, Adebayo, Ware, Herro

Bam Adebayo continues to serve as an ambassador for the Heat in attempts to recruit top players to Miami. Adebayo playing alongside Kevin Durant and Damian Lillard is a key reason why both players were interested in playing for the Heat before being traded elsewhere, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald notes. That’s why when Adebayo’s friend and former Kentucky teammate De’Aaron Fox was put on the trade block on Tuesday, it was safe to count the Heat among Fox’s potential destinations.

While the Spurs are said to be Fox’s preferred destination, the Heat have generally been in on most of the top stars to hit the trade market in the last few years. Adebayo discussed his relationship with Fox, noting that he was part of the point guard’s wedding party in 2022.

That’s my man,” Adebayo said. “That’s my college roommate. Our relationship, for me, I think is very solid. I was in his wedding, I was a groomsman. That just shows the level of respect. That just shows the level of respect and obviously the bond that we have.

Adebayo said he hasn’t spoken directly with Fox about trade possibilities and didn’t specifically address the possibility of the Heat making an offer for the Kings star.

There are a lot of dudes who have been in organizations where in 10 years, they had seven or eight different coaches,” Adebayo said. “They’ve had teams where it’s all young dudes because they’re in the lottery all the time or dudes that have never been past the second round. They see the success here and they want to be a part of it.

We have more from the Heat:

  • The Heat are seeing success from two-big lineups featuring Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware, but they ran into some difficulty when playing the similarly supersized Cavaliers on Wednesday, Chiang writes in a separate story. The Cavs’ frontcourt led by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley helped Cleveland outscore Miami 68-38 in the paint. The Heat were also outscored in second-chance points. “The second-chance points are a big problem that we need to hone in on,” Adebayo said. “But it’s not just because we got two bigs out there, you think you’re going to fix a problem. You’re trying to add pressure to a rookie that just really started getting his minutes and started to get his feet wet. So I don’t really look at it in that sense. But we do collectively as a group have to get better at rebounding.
  • The Heat are sixth in the East following Wednesday’s loss to the Cavs, just a half-game ahead of the Magic and Pistons. While Ware is still a work in progress, the Heat are trying to win now behind their young talent. “We’re a bigger frontline and this needs to be corrected,” Spoelstra said, per Chiang. “There are no excuses now. We have to be a lot more physical and purposeful on the glass. It’s that important for us to finish possessions.
  • Trade chatter surrounding Jimmy Butler could have easily derailed the Heat’s season, but they’re in playoff position due in part to Tyler Herro‘s career year, which earned him his first All-Star nod on Thursday. As William Guillory of The Athletic writes, Herro’s inclusion in trade rumors in his first few seasons in the league helped him sharpen his mindset. “Honestly, I think a lot of that stuff helped me. It might sound crazy. I think it allowed me to come in with a clear mindset,” Herro said. “There was so much talk [in the summer of 2023] that there was no way I could avoid it. I couldn’t pretend like it wasn’t there. But once I just accepted that there was nothing I could do about it, it made it a lot easier to just focus on hooping. Overall, I think it helped me become a better player.

NBA Announces 2025 All-Star Reserves

The 2025 NBA All-Star reserves were revealed on Thursday night during TNT’s Inside the NBA broadcast and officially confirmed by the league (Twitter links).

Fourteen players will join the 10 starters announced last week in the All-Star Game in San Francisco on Feb. 16.

All-Star reserves were selected by the league’s head coaches. Here are the players who made the cut:

Eastern Conference reserves:

The East features three first-time All-Stars in Cunningham, Herro and Mobley. The guard spots in the East were highly contentious, with Atlanta’s Trae Young, Chicago’s Zach LaVine, Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey among those also in the running. Ball finished first in fan voting, but that had no bearing on the coaches’ decisions.

The Cavaliers are well-represented in San Francisco, with Donovan Mitchell named a starter last week and Garland and Mobley now joining him. This is Garland’s second All-Star nod after being named in the 2021/22 season. Jarrett Allen also had a shot at a spot, but ultimately wasn’t voted in.

This is Jaylen Brown‘s fourth All-Star appearance, Lillard’s ninth, and Siakam’s third.

Western Conference reserves:

Wembanyama, Sengun and Williams are each first-time All-Stars. The reigning Rookie of the Year, Wembanyama has taken several steps forward to help the Spurs to a 20-24 record, putting them in contention for a play-in spot. Meanwhile, Sengun and Williams are key contributors for the top two seeds in the conference.

Edwards, in his third overall and consecutive appearance, is having a career year from beyond the arc, connecting on 41.8% of his 9.8 three-point attempts. We wrote earlier today about how the Grizzlies view Jackson as a bona fide star amid their 31-16 record this season.

Veterans Harden and Davis round out the West reserves. Harden, the most decorated reserve, is making his 11th appearance in the game while averaging 21.7 points and 8.4 assists per game in his age-35 season. Davis continues to be one of the premier defensive players in the league en route to earning his 10th All-Star nod. The Lakers big man is currently injured and out at least one week, but it’s unclear if that would affect his availability for the All-Star Game, which is still more than two weeks out.

Fresh off making the NBA Finals last season, the Mavericks won’t have a representative in the All-Star Game, with Luka Doncic injured and Kyrie Irving not earning a spot. The Kings’ Domantas Sabonis, the Clippers’ Norman Powell, the Suns’ Devin Booker and the Kings’ De’Aaron Fox were among those who were not named to the team.

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Ware, Jovic, Robinson

Six-time All-Star Heat forward Jimmy Butler has been suspended for the third time this season by his own team. As a result of this latest suspension, he’s out indefinitely. With the NBA trade deadline less than two weeks away, however, he may be seeing on-court action soon enough — for someone else.

Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra opted to keep relatively mum on the Butler situation ahead of a 125-119 double-overtime victory Monday over Orlando, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).

“I get it, what you guys all want right now,” Spoelstra told reporters. “And I figure that’s why this media room is full right now. We’re trying to quiet the noise and we’re just focusing on the task at hand. There is no better place to be than just the present moment.”

When asked about how the Heat’s older players were handling the Butler drama, Spoelstra expressed apathy, Winderman reports (via Twitter).

“I don’t really care,” Spoelstra said. “We’re just focusing on the task at hand.”

For their part, several Heat players opted to downplay the Butler suspension after their teammate reportedly walked out of Monday’s shootaround upon hearing he had been demoted to a bench role in favor of Haywood Highsmith, prompting his latest suspension.

Highsmith himself claimed he did not even notice Butler exit the shootaround, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (Twitter link). After talking with other Miami players, Jackson tweets that it was apparently not a “big scene.”

There’s more out of Miami:

  • Thanks to a breakout season, guard Tyler Herro seems like the 23-22 Heat’s best bet to land a player in the All-Star game next month. Writing for The Miami Herald, Jackson considers how Herro compares to the other Eastern Conference guards looking to become All-Star reserves this year, including Cleveland’s Darius Garland and Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball.
  • Rookie Heat center Kel’el Ware is thriving with expanded minutes and a bigger role for Miami, writes Adam Lichtenstein of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. He had averaged a scant nine minutes per night during his first two months as a pro. Ware has notched a double-double in four of his last five contests, while serving as Miami’s new starting center across the past four. Bam Adebayo has been moved to a forward role. “He’s earned these minutes,” Spoelstra said of Ware. “That’s the most important thing. He’s earned it with what he’s been doing on the court to the point where we had to find ways to get him more minutes.” Jackson notes in another piece that the rookie is already developing a strong bond with young forward Nikola Jovic on the court.
  • Spoelstra has been toggling Heat wing Duncan Robinson between a starting role and a bench gig this season, writes Jackson in another article. “It’s never easy,” Robinson said. “We’re all ambitious. We all want what’s best for us as a team, but then we all have our own individual careers. We want that for ourselves as well. You know stuff is going to change. You know the way Spo operates. He’s always pulling triggers, trying to find lineups that work.