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It seemed like a foregone conclusion that Damian Lillard was going to be traded to the Heat before the Bucks snuck in to secure his talents in a trade that was announced on Wednesday. That development allowed Tyler Herro to breathe yet another sigh of relief after being at the center of a steady stream of rumors he couldn’t stop himself from joking about after the news broke.
Herro played a single season at Kentucky before Miami scooped him up with the 13th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft and quickly cemented himself as a solid contributor en route to earning Sixth Man of the Year honors for his efforts during the 2012-22 campaign.
The guard has also made plenty of headlines thanks to what he’s done off of the court, although his tendency to attract attention to himself with his extracurricular activities reportedly led to the Heat exploring a trade for the man who was framed as an unnecessary distraction in 2021.
In 2022, the Heat signed Herro to a four-year, $130 million contract extension in the wake of a year filled with reports he was viewed as a major asset in a potential trade for a superstar (a month before he re-upped with Miami, he appeared to throw some shade at fans who were hoping to see him dealt for Donovan Mitchell in a deal that never materialized).
Herro would have been a central part of any trade package the Heat offered to the Trail Blazers in their unsuccessful quest to land Lillard, but barring a fairly unexpected twist, he’ll be suiting up for Miami when the season kicks off.
On Thursday, he responded to a fan who congratulated him for “surviving the final boss of all trade rumors” after the Lillard deal failed to come to fruition while joking he won’t have to worry about a change of scenery until next summer, when (if history is any indication) he’ll probably be subjected to yet another round speculation about his future.
At least he’s reached a point where he can have some fun with the rumors.