Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports

Pat Riley claims Heat didn’t shop Tyler Herro

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 10/24/23

Tyler Herro spent the majority of his summer entangled in uncertainty. The former Sixth Man of the Year was at the forefront of Damian Lillard trade talks as the then-Portland Trail Blazers star tried to force his way to South Beach.

Ultimately, Lillard landed with the Milwaukee Bucks, quieting speculation of Herro's future whereabouts. Now, Heat executive Pat Riley is coming out to publicly back his 23-year-old guard, telling Tim Reynolds of AP News that the team never shopped Herro this offseason.

“We have never shopped him and had no interest in ever trading the guy,” Riley said of Herro.

“I will say this, that we never offered Tyler in any trade, we’ve never shopped him to anybody. ... The fact that Tyler has been involved in these discussions, he almost should wear that as a badge of honor."

- Pat Riley on Tyler Herro

(via @SunSentinel) pic.twitter.com/qTeD6TDvdv
— Heat Nation (@HeatNationCom) October 23, 2023

Nevertheless, the nine-time NBA champion did acknowledge that when an opportunity to acquire a blue-chip talent arises, Miami's phone lines will be open.

“But when you’re talking about acquiring one of the top five players in the league, there isn’t anybody on our team that won’t be discussed,” Riley admitted.

Riley's admission is warranted, especially for an aging Heat team in win-now mode. With three conference finals appearances in four years and no NBA titles to show for it, Miami should permanently keep the door wedged open for potential blockbuster acquisitions.

With the team built around a 34-year-old Jimmy Butler and two-time All-Star Bam Adebayo, Herro was the most realistic, high-upside chip Miami had to dangle in Lillard trade talks — even if they didn't personally go out of their way to shop him.

Tyler Herro tonight:

30 points
6 assists
58% FG

Underrated ‍

( @7rsterling )

pic.twitter.com/4dsP9Kj4Yg
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 16, 2023

In an offseason where fellow Eastern Conference contenders like the Bucks and Boston Celtics took steps forward, a slow start out the gates for Miami could force Riley's hand to make a drastic move.

For all the Heat's postseason success in recent years, they've been a relatively mediocre team during the regular season, winning more than 44 games just once since 2019-20. Residing in such a top-heavy conference, testing the waters on a potential trade haul for a youthful 20 PPG scorer could be Miami's best hope of keeping pace in the East.

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