"There's players across the league that have gotten paid who I know I'm better than" - Former Sixth Man of the Year looking forward to signing extension with Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have a decision to make regarding Tyler Herro. He has played three seasons for the Heat since being selected in the 2019 draft. The 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year is now eligible for a rookie-scale extension.

In case that does not happen before October 17, the 22-year-old will become a restricted free agent on July 1. This means that the Miami Heat would have the right to match any offer made to the shooting guard.

Herro, however, is not sweating over his contract extension. Speaking at the Miami Heat's media day session earlier in the week, he said:

“I’m just focused on the season and basketball. I’m going to let my agent take care of that.”

As the Heat kickstart their 2022-23 campaign with a training camp at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, Herro isn't fretting over his unfinished contract situation. According to an article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Herro is said to have been a little anxious "early in the summer" when the extension window opened in July.

“Then I realized it wasn’t going to get done, if it does get done, until later. So I just told my agent to call me when it’s ready. So we haven’t really spoken much about the contract. Obviously, I tell him to call me when it’s ready. If it’s not ready, I continue to play my game and figure it out next summer.”

The reason for Herro not agonizing over his situation is because he knows his value. Herro is backing himself having been part of a Miami Heat team that his been to the NBA Finals in 2020 and to the conference finals in 2022. He told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

“We both know my worth. I want to be in Miami, but it’s got to make sense for my family. There’s players across the league that have gotten paid who I know I’m better than. So it’s got to be the right number.”

Besides knowing his own worth, Herro is also taking a pragmatic view of the situation. He said:

"I’m not rushing to get anything done. I’m still on my rookie contract, and the money doesn’t kick in until next summer. So at the end of the day, it’s got to make sense for me. So, like I said, I’m not in a rush.”

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Miami Heat shooting guard said he belongs in the same conversation as Luka Doncic, Trae Young

The confidence with which Tyler Herro is dealing with his currently stalled contract situation should not come as a surprise to his fans. Last season, too, the Miami Heat player had shown the same chutzpah before the 2021-22 campaign got underway.

Comparing himself to emerging superstars in the league, Herro had said in an interview:

“I feel like I’m in the same conversation as those guys, the young guys coming up in the league who can be All-Stars, superstars one day. Luka [Doncic], Trae [Young], Ja [Morant], those guys like that. I feel like my name should be in that category, too. I put the work in and I’m just continuing to get better every single day."