Tyler Herro Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Jazz Willing To Listen To Offers For Donovan Mitchell

July 12th, 2022 at 4:49pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Jazz are willing to listen to offers for All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Utah had previously turned aside calls regarding Mitchell but is now willing to listen to trade scenarios.

In fact, the Jazz are open to making trades involving anyone on their roster, but Mitchell is obviously the most coveted piece, Wojnarowski adds in a separate tweet.

Following the Rudy Gobert blockbuster with the Timberwolves, reports stated that the Jazz were looking to build around Mitchell. However, it’s not all that surprising Utah may shift gears and go into rebuild mode after the Mitchell-Gobert partnership failed to get the Jazz to a Finals appearance.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that rival executives had heard Utah executive Danny Ainge isn’t convinced Mitchell can be the face of a contending franchise. GM Justin Zanik didn’t label Mitchell as “untouchable” but made it clear last week that moving the All-Star guard wasn’t part of the team’s current plans.

Earlier last week, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that Mitchell wasn’t on the verge of asking for a trade.

Mitchell signed a designated rookie max extension in 2020 and has four years left on his contract ($30.4MM, $32.6MM, $34.8MM and $37.1MM, ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes in a tweet. The last year is a player option.

Despite the addition of Jalen Brunson, the Knicks can be expected to try to put together a package and make a serious offer for Mitchell, sources told Tony Jones of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, the Jazz’s asking price is sky high, Jones adds.

The Heat could be in the mix, too. The Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang notes that the Heat have avoided triggering a hard cap in their offseason moves in order to keep their options open for a blockbuster deal involving a player such as Mitchell (Twitter link). Miami has made its interest in Mitchell clear to Utah, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets, with speculation that such a deal would involve Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson and draft picks.

The Jazz got a major haul for Gobert and presumably would want as much, or more, for Mitchell. He’s averaged 23.9 PPG, 4.5 APG and 4.2 RPG in 345 NBA regular-season contests. He’s also had some big postseason performances, averaging 28.3 PPG, 4.9 APG and 4.2 RPG in 39 playoff games.

Southeast Notes: Smart, Mulder, Herro, Banchero, Wizards

July 12th, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat guards Javonte Smart and Mychal Mulder are working to expand their games in Summer League as they try to hang on to their two-way contracts, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Smart, a natural scorer who averaged 21.1 PPG in G League competition last season, is focused on becoming a better play-maker. Mulder is a three-point specialist who is attempting to become more well-rounded.

“You’re always looking at how guys may develop into something,” Summer League head coach Malik Allen said. “But you got to be able to do the little things because in order to play with Bam [Adebayo], Jimmy [Butler] and Kyle [Lowry], you got to be able to contribute in those ways. And those guys are going to hold your feet to the fire if you do get that opportunity. If the opportunity does come in December or January.

Marcus Garrett, who held a two-way contract with Miami before undergoing wrist surgery in January, is among the threats to Smart and Mulder. Garrett returned to action over the weekend, playing for the first time in more than six months. Chiang mentions rookie center Orlando Robinson as another two-way candidate.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Tyler Herro isn’t bothered by Heat president Pat Riley‘s stance that he needs to earn his way into the starting lineup, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Riley’s comments came in response to Herro saying he wants to be a starter after winning Sixth Man of the Year honors. “He continues to give me advice,” Herro said when asked about Riley. “Every time I talk to him, he always gives me a new book to read.”
After two strong showings, Magic forward Paolo Banchero will be shut down for the rest of Summer League, according to ESPN. The No. 1 pick averaged 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists, leading Orlando to a pair of victories. In an interview with ESPN (video link), Banchero said his goal for his rookie season is to “affect the Magic in a winning way.”
David Aldridge of The Athletic examines the Wizards‘ chances of building a contending team around Bradley Beal now that he has a five-year max contract.

Kevin Durant Rumors: Raptors, Pelicans, Suns, Heat

July 2nd, 2022 at 1:20pm CST by Luke Adams

After ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski suggested on Friday that Toronto is “lurking” as a team to watch in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca writes today that the Raptors believe they can put together the best package for Durant that the Nets are likely to receive.

Grange describes the Raptors as “optimistic” rather than “confident,” noting that there’s a sense Durant is at least open to the idea of playing in Toronto, even if the team is not atop his wish list.

However, Grange cautions that the Nets may not agree with the Raptors’ assessment that they can offer the best package for Durant. Additionally, Grange’s story suggests Toronto has remained opposed to making reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes available so far.

While the Raptors have all their future draft picks and have several solid veterans on good contracts – including All-Stars Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam, as well as OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr. – it’s unclear if they’d be able to make a deal for Durant without putting Barnes on the table.

“That’s the billion-dollar question,” one source said to Grange.

Here’s more on Durant:

In the latest episode of ESPN’s Hoop Collective podcast (video link), Tim Bontemps said he believes “Toronto thinks it’s in the game” in the Durant sweepstakes, while Brian Windhorst said he still considers the Suns the favorites, since it’s rare for superstar players not to end up where they want to go.
Windhorst (video link) has heard that the Pelicans view head coach Willie Green – an assistant in Golden State during Durant’s Warriors years – as an asset in the chase for the former MVP. As Windhorst explains, the hope would be that if the Nets like what the Pelicans have to offer, Green would get the opportunity to sell Durant on New Orleans.
With New Orleans being mentioned as a possible Durant landing spot, Scott Kushner of NOLA.com wonders whether or not the Pelicans should seriously pursue the 34-year-old.
Within his latest look at the Durant situation, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms that the Nets would want more than Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges in a trade with the Suns and says that any Heat package built around Tyler Herro “wouldn’t scratch the surface of what the Nets want.”
Brooklyn is seeking teams’ best assets, Scotto writes, including All-Stars, rising young players, and “substantial” unprotected draft picks and swaps.

Heat Rumors: Herro, Crowder, Warren, Cap Situation

June 29th, 2022 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

“Early indications” are that a potential Tyler Herro extension with the Heat this offseason would land in the range of $25MM per year, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Herro will become eligible for a rookie scale extension when the NBA’s 2022/23 league year begins later this week. He boosted his stock during the regular season by averaging 20.7 points per game and making a career-high 39.9% of his three-point attempts, but a mediocre playoff run (12.9 PPG with a .229 3PT%) clouded his value entering the summer.

The Heat and Herro are under no obligation to reach an extension this offseason, but doing so would keep him off the restricted free agent market in 2023. Typically, rookie scale extensions worth less than the maximum aren’t agreed to at or near the start of free agency, so the team and the 22-year-old may take a few weeks or months to negotiate a new deal. The extension deadline is the day before the ’22/23 season begins.

Here’s more on the Heat:

If the Heat can’t retain P.J. Tucker in free agency, they’ll consider attempting to trade for Suns forward Jae Crowder or potentially signing free agent forward T.J. Warren, a source tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman stresses that those would be fallback options for the team, which is willing to offer Tucker three fully guaranteed years. Crowder played in Miami briefly in 2019/20 before leaving for Phoenix in free agency.
In a separate story for The Sun Sentinel, Winderman explores how the Heat’s reluctance to impose a hard cap on themselves this offseason may impact their roster moves. It would mean the bi-annual exception can’t be used on a player like Caleb Martin and would mean the Heat’s best offer for P.J. Tucker would start at $8.4MM (via the Non-Bird exception) rather than $10.35MM (the full mid-level).
In case you missed it, a report earlier today suggested that Victor Oladipo is considered likely to leave the Heat in free agency.

Heat Notes: Robinson, Adebayo, Herro, Oladipo, Haslem

June 8th, 2022 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than a year after signing a five-year, $90MM contract with the Heat, Duncan Robinson was replaced in the starting lineup by minimum-salary wing Max Strus and then fell out of the rotation completely in the second round of the postseason. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald relays, Robinson admitted this week that it wasn’t easy to take that role reduction in stride.

“It does not matter if you’re playing JV basketball, if you’re playing middle school basketball, if you’re playing college basketball, if you’re playing in the NBA at the highest level. Not playing, it sucks in a lot of ways,” Robinson said in the latest episode of his podcast. “Especially when you feel that you’re capable and you feel that you can help win. It’s a really, really challenging feeling to combat, especially when you’re on the cusp and in the midst of a run where your team is playing really well.”

Robinson is the Heat’s most prolific three-point shooter, making 232 threes and converting them at a 37.2% rate during the 2021/22 season. However, he’s not an especially strong defender, so if his shot isn’t falling, he sometimes struggles to have an impact on the game. Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley believes there’s room for Robinson to raise his level on the defensive end of the court.

“Defensively as a young player, even though he’s not as young as some of the other guys, he’s got to get better,” Riley said on Monday, per Chiang. “Look, we hang our hat on that. … To me, yes Duncan can improve. That message has been delivered to him many times.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

While the Heat will make an effort to upgrade their roster in free agency and on the trade market this summer, they’ll also be counting on internal improvement from players like Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, Chiang writes in another story for The Miami Herald. Riley suggested this week that he feels both Adebayo and Herro, who are just 24 and 22 respectively, still have room to grow.
After missing much of the 2021/22 season while recovering from quad surgery and then being incorporated slowly into the rotation, Victor Oladipo was starting to look a little more like his old self by the end of the Heat’s season. With Oladipo’s contract set to expire, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders what sort of role – and how much money – Miami will feel comfortable offering the two-time All-Star in free agency.
In another Sun Sentinel article, Winderman looks at the decision facing Udonis Haslem, who has no interest in becoming a coach and is weighing whether or not to play a 20th NBA season.

Pat Riley Address Offseason, Herro, Lowry, Tucker, Retirement

June 6th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat president Pat Riley is generally happy with the current roster but is open to acquiring another impact player if the right trade comes along, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.

“I like the team that we have,” Riley said. “I like the core, so let’s see where we can go internally and let’s see where we can go if something presents itself. If that’s a viable option.”

As for acquiring another star, Riley wants to make sure that player will fit into the team’s culture, not to mention future payroll, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“If there’s something from outside that unveils itself that doesn’t cost us an arm and a leg, I would always be interested in looking at that,” he said. “But I think we have what we need internally.”

Riley held his annual postseason press conference on Monday. Friedell and Chiang have the details on numerous topics that Riley addressed:

Responding to Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro expressing his desire to become a starter, Riley said he’s got to earn it by improving defensively. “He’s 22, he’s 21, 22 years old so the next step for him, and I think we’re seeing this in the league, if you want to win a championship, and you want to be a starter, you really have to become a two-way player today,” Riley said. “And you have to improve in certain areas of your game.”
Kyle Lowry needs to improve his conditioning, in Riley’s assessment. “The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping that you can get the most out of a player — is that you got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be,” he said.
P.J. Tucker has a $7.35MM player option for 2022/23 and if he turns it down, Riley will try to re-sign the veteran forward. “P.J. is a cornerstone,” Riley said. “I would love to have Tuck back next year. He’s part of our core. He’s special.”
The sting of losing Game 7 to Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals hasn’t dissipated. “We have a lot of real experienced veterans and so we put together a team that got to the Eastern Conference finals and it was bitter, it was a bitter loss,” he said. “The dragon hasn’t actually left my body yet from that loss.”
Retirement is not on Riley’s agenda. “I’m 77 years old and right now I can do more pushups than you can do right now,” he said.

Heat Notes: Herro, Vincent, Tucker, Roster

June 4th, 2022 at 1:29pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Tyler Herro believes he has earned a starting role with the team next year, prompting Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel to explore whether such a role change would make sense. Herro won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season, averaging 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 66 regular-season games.

“I would like to start,” Herro said during a recent media availability. “I think it’s my fourth year, so hopefully, I’ve earned it, and we’ll see what happens.”

Assuming Miami doesn’t trade Herro, starting him would give them another halfcourt point-of-attack, which would be useful against elite Eastern Conference defenses such as Milwaukee or Boston. In addition to being the Heat’s second-leading scorer, Herro also shot a career-high 45% from the floor and 40% from three-point range this season.

Here are some other notes out of Miami:

In a separate story for the Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman examines whether Gabe Vincent provides a solution to the team’s depth issues at point guard. Kyle Lowry dealt with a strained hamstring during the playoffs, which allowed Vincent to play more minutes at times. In 18 playoff games, he averaged 8.0 points and 3.2 assists per contest, shooting 38% from the floor and 31% from behind the arc.
Winderman also considers whether the team’s power forward carousel will stop with P.J. Tucker. The Heat started Jae Crowder in its 2020 NBA Finals run, then experimented with Kelly Olynyk and Trevor Ariza in 2021. The team ultimately signed Tucker to fill the role last summer, but he can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald provides a player-by-playe rroster breakdown for the offseason. Miami is coming off a seven-game defeat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. The team was the No. 1 seed in the East this season, but dealt with several injuries in the playoffs.

Heat Notes: Herro, Martin, Haslem, Offseason

June 1st, 2022 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

After earning Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2022, Heat guard Tyler Herro isn’t interested in winning the award again in 2023. He said during his end-of-season media session on Tuesday that he’d rather have a spot in Miami’s starting five next season, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.

“Yeah, for sure,” Herro said. “In some way, I would like to start. I think it’s my fourth year, so I think I’ve earned it, and we’ll see what happens.”

It will be a big offseason for Herro, who will be eligible for a contract extension as he prepares to enter the final season of his four-year rookie contract. The Heat will have to take into account the 22-year-old’s impressive regular season (20.7 PPG, 4.0 APG on .447/.399/.868 shooting) and his underwhelming postseason (12.6 PPG, 2.8 APG on .409/.229/.926 shooting), as well as their cap situation going forward.

“I’m not sure yet, honestly, what’s going to happen,” Herro said, per Friedell. “We’ll see what happens this summer. My agent (Jeff Schwartz) will talk to who he needs to talk to, and we’ll see what happens.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

Caleb Martin said on Tuesday that he’ll be “open-minded” as he enters restricted free agency this summer, but his preference would be to remain in Miami, according to Barry Jackson and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “I want to be here. I got better here. I believe I’ll get better here,” Martin said.
Udonis Haslem said he plans to “take my time” before deciding whether or not he’ll return for a 20th season in 2022/23, per Jackson and Chiang. The NBA’s oldest player, Haslem will turn 42 next Thursday, but appears to have a place on the Heat’s roster for as long as he wants to play. He remains interested in a role with the organization – preferably as part of the ownership group – once he eventually retires.
In a separate story for The Miami Herald, Jackson takes an in-depth look at what’s on tap for the Heat this offseason, including potentially negotiating new deals with Martin and P.J. Tucker, who holds a $7.35MM player option for 2022/23. Jackson also considers whether Miami has a viable path to trading for a star this summer.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Insider link) and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype shared their Heat offseason previews, with a focus on a possible extension for Herro.

Tyler Herro To Return In Game 7

May 29th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Tyler Herro (groin strain) will warm up with the intent of playing in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Celtics, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). The other players on the official injury report — Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent — will do the same.

Herro suffered the injury during the second half of Game 3. He missed Games 4, 5 and 6 as a result, with Miami going 1-2 during those outings. The Heat have missed his scoring presence, as the 22-year-old averaged 20.7 points per game on 45% shooting this season.

Herro’s production has dropped during the playoffs. In 14 games, he’s averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.7 minutes per contest, shooting 41% from the floor and just 23% from distance.

Herro won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He made significant progress in his recovery, one that could’ve lasted two-to-four weeks during the regular season, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne previously reported (video link).

Eastern Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Knicks, Nets

May 29th, 2022 at 5:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat star Bam Adebayo didn’t have a problem with the team getting fined $25K for its “bench decorum” in Game 6, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise, Adebayo did have a positive way of looking at it, explaining why the fine didn’t bother him.

“At the end of the day, it just shows how much support your teammates have for you, to the point we get fined,” Adebayo said.

The Heat aren’t the only team to be fined for violating bench decorum rules this postseason, as the Mavericks were fined three separate times for a total of $175K for the same issue. According to the NBA, several Heat players stood for an extended period in the team bench area. They were on, encroached upon or entered the court during live game action.

Here are some other Eastern Conference notes:

The Heat remain concerned about Tyler Herro‘s injury in the short term, Ira Winderman writes in a separate story for the Sun-Sentinel. Herro, who suffered a groin strain earlier in the team’s series against Boston, was the club’s second-leading scorer at 20.7 points per game this season and won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, so his absence has naturally been felt. “It’s a sensitive injury, so got to take his time,” Adebayo said of Herro.
Steve Popper of Newsday explores whether the Knicks or the Nets are in a better spot going forward. The Knicks entered 2021/22 coming off a successful campaign with a young core, but their season became rife with injuries and chemistry issues. The Nets had championship expectations, but Kyrie Irving‘s part-time availability, James Harden‘s trade request and Joe Harris‘ season-ending injury harmed their hopes.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines why the Nets‘ lack of length is no longer an issue they can live with by simply scoring more. Brooklyn was often overmatched in its first-round series against Boston, playing two or three point guards at a time against the Celtics’ bigger lineup. The team simply lacked wing depth, something that Harris and Ben Simmons can help address when they play next season.