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Tyler Herro was unsure if he would be part of the Miami Heat for the upcoming season after being linked to the Damian Lillard trade. Lillard preferred to get dealt to the Heat, but the Portland Trail Blazers didn't like what they were getting in return. Now, Herro shared a few details about the hardest offseason he ever endured.
In an interview with Wes Goldberg of The Ringer, Herro opened up about the difficulty of being in trade rumors for several months. It also didn't help that the Blazers were not interested in him, with several critics pointing out the problems in his game.
"I thought I was out of here," Herro said. "I damn near had my sh*t packed up. But then the summer continued to go on and it didn't happen."
The Damian Lillard trade did happen, but the Miami Heat were not involved. The Milwaukee Bucks ended up acquiring Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers which also involved the Phoenix Suns.
In the end, Tyler Herro remained in Miami and knew he had a lot to prove this upcoming season. Despite teasing the possibility that his relationship with the Heat was broken, Herro is happy to stay in South Beach.
"I was happy. Ecstatic, really," Herro said. "My family's here, my kids, my (friends) live in Miami. Came from Milwaukee with me, everything is in Miami. If I were to get traded, at the end of my career Miami will still be my home."
Tyler Herro's role for the Heat moving forward
Some people thought that the Miami Heat was better when Tyler Herro got injured in Game 1 of the first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks and missed the playoffs. The Heat went on to make the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets in five games.
Herro's defense has always been a problem for the Heat since most opposing teams attack him for easy baskets. It doesn't matter how much Herro scores when he allows much more on the other end.
Due to the failed Damian Lillard trade, the Heat could shift their focus on developing Herro into a superstar. He added some muscle this summer and is now 205 pounds. That will help in improving his defense, but it's going to be a long process.
With Jimmy Butler turning 34 years old last month and the Heat failing to land a superstar in the past few seasons, they might not have any choice but to settle on Herro. They could really build around him and Bam Adebayo, with Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. waiting in the wings.
