Tyler Herro Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Ball, Adebayo, Ware, Herro, Hawks

January 20th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

LaMelo Ball leads the Eastern Conference All-Star voting among guards despite the Hornets‘ poor record (11-28). However, Ball has stepped up his game, particularly on defense, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer writes.

Ball had 23 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in Charlotte’s victory over Dallas on Monday afternoon.

“His two-way play has really helped us,” coach Charles Lee said. “We’ve made an effort to play with more pace offensively. I think the whole squad has really bought into that and he’s really the head of the snake when it comes to pace, and his attack and willingness to either go finish in the attack or collapse the defense and kick out for some early opportunities.

“And then defensively, he’s denying (Kyrie) Irving at the end of the game, being more physical. I feel like in our transition defense, we are having a lot more communication and urgency to get back. So, just really impressed with his two-way game and not trying to be offensively focused.”

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The pairing of Bam Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware gave the Heat a “dynamic” new look, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. At the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, the Heat went on a 36-13 run against San Antonio on Sunday with the two bigs playing together. “Right now, defensively that just looked like it was elite,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So if I have to lean into this thing defensively right now for our team to get to another level, I will. That could be a path and we’ll dive into this. But that looks like a path where we can find some higher success, at least on one side of the floor.”
Tyler Herro is averaging career bests in points, rebounds and assists and the Heat wing is drawing extra defensive attention. Lakers coach JJ Redick says the Herro needs to be guarded like Stephen Curry. Adebayo said it’s a learning experience for Herro, Chiang writes. “He is the focal point of a lot of scouting reports,” he said. “So for us, it’s understanding that he’s got to play kind of like Steph. He might not get the ball, but go set a screen, go screen somebody. That’s how you get yourself open. Me and him had that conversation during the (Spurs) game. He was like, ‘Man, what am I supposed to do?’ I was like, ‘Just go screen for somebody.’ Literally if they’re face-guarding you, just go screen for somebody. Somebody is going to be open.”
The Hawks have the East’s fourth-best record in large part because they’re handling adversity better, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. They have a 6-2 record against the teams above them in the conference standings. “Your hope is when you find adversity in the game, because it comes in a lot of different forms that that can bring you together and you can raise your level, as opposed to it splitting you apart,” coach Quin Snyder said.

Members Of Heat Organization Fear Jimmy Butler Situation Could Get Uglier

January 17th, 2025 at 8:17am CST by Dana Gauruder

Members of the Heat organization, including players, coaches and staffers, have grown weary of Jimmy Butler‘s feud with the front office and it’s feared that the situation could get even worse, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN reports.

With his team-imposed seven-game suspension over, Butler could return to action against the Nuggets on Friday. However, there’s a sense of dread in the organization that Butler could become even more of a distraction.

One unnamed source within the organization told Shelburne, “I don’t know how he can come back to this locker room,” while another informed her, “We don’t want him back.”

Butler reiterated his demand to be traded to president of basketball operations Pat Riley during the suspension while the team was away on a six-game road trip. Butler was furious at the length of the suspension and the potential $2.35MM in lost salary, according to Shelburne, who says the possibility of a reduction waned because Butler failed to show enough contrition.

Here’s more from Shelburne’s story:

Butler was stunned when Riley publicly criticized him after last season for missing playoff games. Butler also felt the organization had prioritized Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro over him, especially when Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra essentially anointed Adebayo as the team leader when Udonis Haslem retired.
Butler’s preferential treatment during his years with the Heat is detailed, including staying in his mansion in Boulder, Colorado during the 2023 Finals. He’s also been allowed to fly privately or stay at a different location than the team on road trips.
During the first half of a game against Oklahoma City on Dec. 20, Butler went to the locker room because of a sprained ankle, then left the arena because he told the team’s medical staff that he was feeling sick. He didn’t play the next three games and some team officials began to regard Butler as somewhat AWOL. During the last of those absences, Butler posted a video of himself playing soccer.

Heat Notes: Butler, Young Core, Adebayo, Rozier, Richardson

January 16th, 2025 at 8:53pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Despite the fact that Heat star Jimmy Butler reportedly made it clear he no longer wants to play for the franchise, he may suit up for Miami on Friday, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Butler is eligible to return against Denver from his team-issued suspension and was not listed on Thursday’s injury report.

The six-time All-Star was expected to meet with Arison and CEO Nick Arison on Thursday afternoon to discuss a path forward.

As has been reported, there has been little progress on a potential trade. The Heat would prefer to get a trade done sooner rather than later but will only accept a deal that will help the team both now and moving forward.

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Miami went 3-4 during Butler’s suspension, including three consecutive wins against the Warriors, Jazz and Trail Blazers. The most promising aspect of the trip, The Athletic’s James Jackson writes, is the fact that Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic all showed promise. Ware continues to play a larger role as the season goes on. Teammate Tyler Herro expressed optimism about what he saw from those players during the stretch. “Ups and downs with a young player are normal,” Herro said. “I went through it myself. I think that’s the hardest thing: just finding consistency night in and night out. That’s a challenge for any young player. I think getting the reps every night is ultimately what young guys need, to be able to continue to get better and go through ups and downs, play through mistakes. But they’re all playing very well. You can see how good they can be, and I’m really excited for them.“
Ware and Jovic have looked particularly good coming off the bench for Miami, often assisting on each other’s makes, Chiang observes in a separate story. On the other hand, Bam Adebayo and Terry Rozier remain off the mark offensively, with Adebayo shooting a career-low from the field and Rozier shooting his lowest since the 2018/19 season.
Despite being active earlier this month and looking like he was on track to return soon, Josh Richardson went home from the team’s West Coast road trip early for an MRI on his heel. Richardson was ruled out due to that heel issue, according to the team (Twitter link). It’s unknown at this time when Richardson will be able to return or what the results of the MRI were.

Southeast Notes: Herro, Bitadze, Williams, Wizards

January 15th, 2025 at 12:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After being referred to as “fragile” by Heat president Pat Riley last spring, Tyler Herro has responded in impressive fashion to Riley’s public challenge to improve his availability, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Acknowledging during his end-of-season press conference last year that Herro had dealt with some major injuries, Riley said he hoped to see the veteran shooting guard be able to play “in that 72- to 82-game range.”

Herro, who has never appeared in more than 67 games in a season and missed 40 contests in 2023/24, has yet to sit out a single game in ’24/25, having suited up for each of the Heat’s 38 matchups to date.

“I’m trying to play over 70, 75 games, for sure,” Herro said. “Obviously, if I can play all 82, I’ll play 82. But I’m just trying to be as healthy as possible.

“… I don’t need anyone to tell me I’m fragile or I haven’t played as many games,” he continued. “I’m aware of what’s going on. I know I missed the last two seasons, with the hand injury and half the season last year. I’ve seen the comments Coach Riley said. In my own world, I was going to try to play more games on my own either way. I took his words, obviously, into consideration and used it as motivation as I always do.”

As Chiang writes, a player’s availability often comes down to luck, but Herro also says he’s been “more conscious” than ever about managing his body and his weight this season. On top of being more available than in the past, Herro is enjoying a career year in Miami, averaging 24.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on .469/.403/.862 shooting.

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Magic center Goga Bitadze has been placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol and won’t be available on Wednesday vs. Milwaukee, reports Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel. Bitadze, who has been Orlando’s primary starting center this season, was struck in the head during Sunday’s win over Philadelphia. He didn’t exhibit any concussion symptoms right away, but has since developed those symptoms, Beede explains.
In a conversation with Spencer Davies of RG.org, Hornets center Mark Williams spoke about having Taj Gibson as a veteran mentor, the team’s trust in first-year head coach Charles Lee, and his belief that Charlotte is better than its 8-28 record suggests. “I believe 100 percent we’re better than what our record shows,” Williams said. “I know it sounds kinda repetitive with guys being out, but you can’t control it. So I think for us, whoever is out there on the floor with us, maintaining the same style of play, playing hard, doing all the little things on the court, hustle plays, rebounds. And I think for us, it’s just finding a way no matter what.”
Wizards rookies Alex Sarr, Carlton Carrington, and Kyshawn George, are beginning to feel the effects of the NBA’s 82-game regular season grind, writes Varun Shankar of The Washington Post. Carrington and Sarr rank first and second among first-year players in minutes per game, while George is seventh. “I’ve never played this (number) of games, never played this (many) minutes as well. So it’s definitely taken a toll,” Carrington said. “… Can’t really dwell on it; it’s just something you got to get through.”

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Love, Ware, Richardson

January 14th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

It seems increasingly likely that Jimmy Butler will be rejoining the Heat when they return from their six-game road trip, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Butler, who is nearing the end of his suspension, has been working out at the team facility and is expected to return to the court on Friday if he’s still on the roster.

Team officials have been hoping to resolve the situation with a trade, but they reportedly haven’t made much progress. A source tells Chiang that Miami has engaged in trade talks with several teams over the past week, but isn’t close to making a deal.

In his latest Substack column (subscriber-only), Jake Fischer dives into some of the “conduct detrimental to the team” that the Heat cited when they imposed Butler’s suspension. League sources tell Fischer that Butler has skipped several morning shootarounds and has insisted on taking private flights to some games rather than traveling on the charter with his teammates.

In addition to not getting the contract extension that he wanted, Butler’s dissatisfaction may stem from the loss of several players whom he considered to be close friends, Fischer theorizes. Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, who were starters on the team that reached the NBA Finals in 2023, all left in free agency over the past two offseasons.

“Those were [Butler’s] guys,” a source told Fischer.

Miami isn’t willing to move Butler just to get rid of a problem, adds Kurt Helin of NBC Sports. The front office is focused on finding players who can help the team win this season while taking back as little future salary as possible. The organization wants to rebuild around Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro without being burdened by another large contract.

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Adebayo was a late scratch for Monday’s game due to a lower back contusion, Chiang states in a separate story. He had been expected to play earlier in the day, but he was downgraded to questionable during the afternoon before being ruled out a few hours before game time. Adebayo was hurt Saturday in Portland when he fell to the court while trying to catch a pass. “He’s been dealing with it for a few days,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s getting a lot of treatment and it kind of seized up on him this morning. But we’ll treat him day to day and we’ll reevaluate him.”
With Adebayo unavailable, Spoelstra gave the start to Kevin Love, who had appeared in just one of the previous 12 games, Chiang adds. Love made three three-pointers in the first seven minutes Monday night, but didn’t score again, finishing with nine points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of action. Most of the center minutes went to rookie Kel’el Ware, who had 13 points and six rebounds in the fourth quarter and now seems like an established part of the rotation. “Kel’el has been playing really well,” Spoelstra said. “And he had a very good game tonight. … He’s making progress. It seems to be every day that he’s learning something new.”
Josh Richardson has returned to Miami to have an MRI on his heel and will miss the final game of the road trip Wednesday against the Lakers, the Heat announced (via Twitter). Richardson hasn’t appeared in a game since November 18.

Heat Notes: Butler, Herro, Jovic, Highsmith

January 12th, 2025 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

When the Heat announced that they’d suspended Jimmy Butler for seven games, they explained the decision by stating that the veteran forward had engaged in “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team.” However, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel hears from a source close to the situation that the club at one point sought to suspend Butler for a “failure to render services.”

The difference wouldn’t have just been a matter of semantics. As Winderman outlines, a standard suspension for conduct detrimental to the team costs a player 1/145th of his full-season salary per game. In Butler’s case, that works out to $2,355,798 over seven games. However, when a player is suspended for a failure to render services, it costs him 1/91.6th of his salary per game — that would’ve resulted in $3,729,157 in lost salary for the 35-year-old.

Based on Winderman’s reporting, it’s unclear whether the Heat reconsidered taking that route or were prevented from doing so — it presumably would’ve required the club to prove that Butler, who had been playing in games leading up to the suspension, had refused to render the services required by his contract.

Hours after the Heat initially announced the seven-game ban, the National Basketball Players Association put out a statement indicating it intended to file a grievance. It’s safe to assume the NBPA’s objections to the suspension would’ve been even more vociferous if the team had accused Butler of a failure to render services and attempted to recoup more of his salary.

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After suffering demoralizing losses to Utah and Sacramento in the first two games of Butler’s suspension, the Heat have righted the ship, beating Portland on Saturday for their third straight victory. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald points out, two players who were believed to be part of Miami’s 2023 trade offer for then-Blazers guard Damian Lillard led the way in the victory, as Tyler Herro scored a game-high 32 points and Nikola Jovic contributed a personal season-high of 21 points to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. “I like his improvement,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jovic. “He’s playing with more consistency. He’s preparing with more consistency.”
Jackson notes within the same Herald story that starting Haywood Highsmith at power forward has been a winning formula for Miami this season — the club is 17-11 when he starts and just 3-6 when he doesn’t. “He was great tonight,” Spoelstra said after Satuday’s win. “He gives us, when he’s at his best, point of attack defense, harassing other teams’ better guards and wing players. It’s a thankless job except in our locker room.” Highsmith re-signed with the Heat as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason on a two-year, $10.8MM deal.
Road wins in Golden State, Utah, and Portland this week show that the Heat aren’t unraveling without Butler, Jackson writes in a separate article for The Miami Herald. Highsmith told reporters that “the vibes are great,” while Herro said the club has rediscovered its identity. “Just rallying around each other, making it about the guys that are here now, the guys that are in this locker room,” Herro said. “We’ve got enough, and that’s all that matters. This is what we wanted to get back on the road, get away from all the chaos and come out here and compete and get back to who we are and get to our identity.”
The Lakers‘ and Clippers‘ home games on Saturday were postponed due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, but the Heat flew to L.A. on Saturday and are expecting for now to play the Clippers on Monday and Lakers on Wednesday, says Jackson.

NBA Suspends Amen Thompson Two Games, Terry Rozier One Game

December 31st, 2024 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Rockets swingman Amen Thompson has been suspended for two games, while Heat guard Terry Rozier has received a one-game suspension, the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

Thompson and Rozier are being suspended for the roles they played in the on-court altercation that occurred during the final minute of the Heat/Rockets game in Houston on Sunday. In addition to the suspensions, the league announced that Rockets guard Jalen Green has been fined $35K and Heat guard Tyler Herro has been fined $25K for their involvement in the fracas.

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has received a $50K fine for verbal abuse of a referee and not leaving the court in a timely manner after being ejected.

Additionally, Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $35K for making “reckless” contact with official Marc Davis. That incident occurred moments before the altercation that led to the other penalties.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in Sunday’s game, Herro and Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link). Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Rozier tackling Thompson as Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Udoka and Rockets assistant coach Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Sullivan is the only one of those ejected who wasn’t fined or suspended today.

Tensions were already running high leading up to the melee, as VanVleet was tossed from the game after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

The suspension will keep Thompson out of action for Wednesday’s game vs. Dallas and Friday’s contest vs. Boston. It will also cost him $127,586, which is 2/145ths of his $9,249,960 full-season salary, notes ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).

Rozier, who will have to sit out Wednesday’s game vs. New Orleans, will forfeit $143,242, which is 1/174th of his $24,924,126 salary.

Heat/Rockets Altercation Likely To Result In Suspensions, Fines

December 30th, 2024 at 7:03am CST by Luke Adams

An on-court altercation broke out during the final minute of Sunday’s Heat/Rockets game, resulting in several ejections that will likely to lead to suspensions and/or fines for the players involved.

With Miami up by five points and about to inbound the ball with 35.7 seconds left in the game, Heat guard Tyler Herro and Rockets guard Amen Thompson began exchanging words and bumping one another (Twitter video link).

Thompson grabbed Herro by the jersey and threw him to the floor, which led to Heat guard Terry Rozier tackling Thompson as Rockets guard Jalen Green went after Rozier and several other players and coaches converged on the melee.

Once the dust settled, those four players, along with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and assistant Ben Sullivan, were ejected. Crew chief Marc Davis explained the decision after the game to pool reporter Kelly Iko of The Athletic.

“During the dead ball, Thompsons grabs the jersey and body slams Herro,” Davis said. “Herro responds and they are both ejected for fighting fouls. Green is ejected as his actions escalated the altercation. Rozier as well is ejected as his actions were escalators to the altercation. Coach Sullivan is assessed a technical foul and ejected for his unsportsmanlike comments directed at me as I was attempting to redirect (Alperen) Sengun.”

Tensions were already running high leading up to the play, as Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was tossed from the game moments earlier after arguing that a timeout should have been awarded to Houston before Davis called the team for a five-second violation on its inbound play (Twitter video link).

VanVleet made contact with Davis during the argument, which the veteran official deemed to be intentional, resulting in the guard’s ejection. Udoka was also sniping back and forth with Davis at that time and was eventually ejected for “unsportsmanlike comments,” per the crew chief.

Naji Marshall (four games), Jusuf Nurkic (three games), and P.J. Washington (one game) received suspensions on Saturday for their roles in an incident involving the Mavericks and Suns in Friday’s game, so it would be a surprise if similar penalties aren’t handed out in response to this latest skirmish.

Thompson seems likely to face the most significant punishment from the league, with Rozier and Green at risk of possible suspensions as well. It’s unclear how the NBA will view Herro’s role, given that he didn’t reenter the fray after initially being thrown to the floor.

Although it took the NBA less than 24 hours to make its ruling after the Mavs/Suns altercation, that was at least partly because both teams were in the middle of back-to-back sets and the league wanted to announce suspensions prior to Saturday’s games. Neither the Heat nor the Rockets play until Wednesday, so the NBA may take a little more time to review this case.

Thompson didn’t speak to reporters after Sunday’s game, but Herro suggested with a smile during his post-game media session that his own big night (27 points, nine assists, six rebounds) led to Thompson’s frustration.

“Guess that’s what happens when someone’s scoring, throwing dimes, doing the whole thing,” Herro said (Twitter video link). “I’d get mad, too.”

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Butler, Herro, Stevens

December 21st, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat dropped a close game to Oklahoma City on Friday, but the toughest part of the night for Bam Adebayo came in the locker room, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami’s center had to get seven stitches above his left eye after being struck in the face early in the third quarter. He was able to return to the game a few minutes later, but he didn’t enjoy the medical procedure.

“I’m one of those people, I don’t really like needles,” Adebayo said. “So it’s kind of rough for me in the beginning. But if you love the game enough and obviously I do, and I love being out there with my teammates, you go through stuff like that.”

Adebayo remained effective even after the treatment, finishing with 17 points, 10 rebounds and a block in 36 minutes. The Heat outscored the Thunder by five points while he was in the game, and his determination to return inspired his teammates.

“That’s what makes Bam Bam,” Tyler Herro said. “He’s able to impact the game in so many ways. Then he gets hurt or gets his eye split open, and he’s able to get back here and get stitches and jump right back in the game. It shows how much he loves the game. He wants to be out there to help us win. That’s what you want out of your captain.”

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Jimmy Butler sat out tonight’s game at Orlando after leaving Friday’s contest midway through the first quarter with a stomach illness, Chiang adds. It’s the sixth missed game of the season for Butler, who has been the subject of recent trade speculation. “We got to figure this thing out,” Adebayo said of playing without Butler. “You can’t harp on who’s in, who’s out. It’s about going out there and trying to get the W.”
Herro is playing well enough to merit All-Star consideration, but actually being selected for the event will be difficult, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, which are all career highs, but he faces some strong competition to land an Eastern Conference backcourt spot. “I would love to be an All-Star,” he said, “but there’s a lot of good guards in the East when you think about it. So it’ll be tough.”
Considering their lack of depth at point guard, the Heat should consider locking up Isaiah Stevens before he gets signed by another team, Winderman adds in a mailbag column. Winderman suggests promoting Dru Smith to a standard contract and giving his two-way slot to Stevens, who is currently with Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat have a roster opening that must be filled by December 29.

Heat Notes: Smith, Butler, Expectations

December 18th, 2024 at 8:00pm CST by Rory Maher

Heat guard Dru Smith, who is on a two-way contract, has become a key rotation player over the past six games in part due to his impressive defense, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The Heat have been substantially better defensively when Smith has been on the court compared to when he’s not.

“I’m trying to bring as much energy as I can on the defensive end, be disruptive and just try to make inspiring plays on the defensive end,” said Smith, who turns 27 on Dec. 30. “And also just take open shots when they’re there. I want to try to do a better job of getting guys easier looks on the offensive end, getting Bam [Adebayo] some easy baskets in pick-and-rolls, things like that. But mainly when I check in, just trying to breathe life into everybody and bring good energy and try to turn a couple games around.”

As Chiang observes, Smith’s traditional statistics over the six-game stretch have been solid if unspectacular, with the third-year guard averaging 7.8 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.2 APG and 2.0 SPG on .485/.529/.750 shooting in 25.3 MPG. But Smith, who is a candidate to be promoted to a standard contract, has drawn praise from his All-Star teammates and his head coach for his heady play.

“When you find guys that just do winning things on both ends of the court over and over and over — that can be consistent to that — that’s a superpower in this league,” Spoelstra said of Smith. “Everybody is searching for that, but he’s kind of the glue that fits, and he can make any unit work — the second unit, the starters. So that’s that thing I say, make me watch, make me play you and then make me for sure not even think about putting somebody else in there.”

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In an interview with Cyro Asseo de Choch of HoopsHype, Smith admitted his NBA journey has been frustrating at times, particularly the 2022/23 campaign, when he was signed and waived multiple times while on two-way deals with Miami. “Yeah, no, there were plenty of days of frustration,” Smith said. “Just questioning, is this what I’m supposed to be doing? You feel like you’re chasing something that just keeps getting further away. But it was all worth it and just continue. But I’m still in the same position. I’m still here on a two-way, still trying to do the same thing. So, keeping that in mind at the same time, always trying to appreciate my opportunities that I get. I try to take advantage of them to the best of my ability.”
Appearing on NBA Today on Tuesday (Twitter video link), Shams Charania of ESPN referred to Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat as “fluid.” According to Charania, Miami doesn’t feel any urgency to move Butler, but the front office is still open to offers for the star forward, with the Suns and Warriors believed to be his top choices if he does switch teams before the Feb. 6 trade deadline.
Aside from Pelle Larsson and Tyler Herro, just about every other player on the Heat’s standard roster has fallen short of expectations this season, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, who explains why that has been bad for the team’s on-court product and its ability to improve through trades.