Pat Riley Thoughts on Tyler Herro Extension Should Worry Miami Heat All-Star

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro is expecting an extension when his window arrives in October. He made that clear at exit interviews a few weeks ago despite saying he wouldn’t be stressing over it.

That alleviates a lot of pressure on team president Pat Riley and the Miami Heat, although it probably isn’t going to make Herro’s agents, Jeff Schwartz and Mike Linderman, all that happy.  Given that Jimmy Butler asked out because the Heat ultimately didn't give him what he wanted when he was seeking an extension, how can Herro really be sure he'll taken care of? Spoiler alert - he can't.

From what could be gathered from Riley’s impressive dance moves when skirting around the question at his long-awaited end-of-the-year press conference, it seems nothing is set in stone outside of an acknowledgment that they know Herro expects a big payday and has earned the consideration of a superstar-level contract after his first All-Star appearance.

“He’s ok... Pay me now or pay me later. We’ve already talked about it. I’ve talked about it with Tyler,” Riley said when addressing the situation of maxing out Herro. “We’ll see what happens as we plan. The numbers are getting pretty big for a lot of guys, you know.

“Max salaries in this league, who do they go to? I mean who do they go to and who is, really, if you’re going to make $70 million a year, who are those five guys, or 10, that deserve that? Definitely Tyler is deserving of that, of the thought of an extension. But are we going to do it? We haven’t committed to it, but we’re going to discuss it. I’ve already talked to him about it. He’s cool.”

Sure, Herro is cool now. He has no choice since he hasn't been told 'no', but there’s no commitment to be heard in that word salad Riley served up. The four-year, $130 million extension he signed after winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2022 is up in ‘27, so when exactly is this extension going to be agreed upon? As it stands now, it appears to be on the Heat’s time table.

“He’s one of the most ‘ignitable’ guys in the league. We’re happy to have him,” Riley said, stealing a ‘Spo-ism’ from head coach Erik Spoelstra. “He’s pivotal for us as an offensive player. We just need more around him that can do a little bit of what he does, because now he’s getting beat up, he’s getting schemed, overly schemed.. Tyler’s a player. I hope he can stay here the rest of his career and I hope he can build a team that he’s part of.”

Dealing with a player who is ‘cool’ with having his long-term future in limbo is better than someone who is disgruntled and threatening to hold out. That doesn’t seem to be Herro’s style.

However, it remains to be seen how this situation unfolds if not rectified prior to the start of the 2025-26 season. Herro is an elite shooter, emerged as a Top-20 scorer in averaging 23.9 points last season, and has become the focal point of a team’s defensive game plan when facing the Heat.

Herro was also exposed as a defensive liability by a Cleveland Cavs team that targeted him mercilessly and told everyone they were doing so. That was in addition to being loaded up on defensively, being picked up full court and followed vigilantly everywhere he went on the perimeter.

What happens if Herro struggles to start next season without an extension in place? What happens if he suffers an injury? Riley compared Herro’s predicament in being the focus of opposing defenses to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, so it’s clear he holds him in high regard.

“He has to learn how to be a great player, like Steph is when he gets that treatment, and to be able to still score,” Riley said. “There’s going to be nights when he’s got those 4-for-20 games. He’s just one of those guys, but I’m glad that we have him and Bam at the right time, and we’re going to move forward with that.”

Curry is currently dealing with a hamstring issue that has knocked him out of the playoffs for at least a week. What if Herro, while awaiting this extension the Heat are aware he wants but haven’t committed to, suffers through an injury-plagued season while still waiting to be taken care of? It’s unlikely Herro will still be ‘cool' at that point.

Herro got no clarity from Riley beyond the certainty that a decision on Miami’s lone All-Star from this past season getting a contract extension remains in a holding pattern.

Ex-Rival Claims "Heat Culture" is Dead

Heat Should Consider No One Untouchable

Exit Interviews Reveal Heat Waiting on Riley

Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com