Tyler Herro “Not Really Worried” About Contract Extension

“I’m not really worried about it right now,” he said of his contract status. “It’s a new slate for me, for the coaches, really for the organization as a whole. I don’t think that needs to be a burden over anyone’s shoulders.”

Herro currently has a $33MM expiring contract and will become a free agent next summer if a new deal can’t be worked out. That provides a level of uncertainty for a Milwaukee team that’s ready to rebuild after sending Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami in the trade that brought back Herro and a collection of other assets and hiring Taylor Jenkins as its new head coach.

Herro is counting on a strong bounce-back performance after injuries limited him to 33 games last season. He remained productive at 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per night while shooting 48% from the field and 37.8% from beyond the arc, but it was still a disappointing outcome for a player who made his first All-Star appearance the season before.

Herro also feels like he has something to prove after being discarded by the Heat, even though they got one of the league’s elite players in return.

“I probably have the biggest chip on my shoulder that I’ve had in my career, coming to Milwaukee,” Herro said. “We’ve been through a lot. Just being able to come here with a new slate, a brand-new team, a brand-new organization, a brand-new coaching staff. … We all have chip on our shoulders. Coach Jenkins himself has a chip on his shoulder, the guys who came in the trade with me. It’s not just about me. I think everyone on the team has a chip.”

The trade marked a homecoming for Herro, who hails from the Milwaukee area and grew up cheering for the Bucks, Lori Nickel of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes in a subscriber-only piece. He joined his new teammates in Las Vegas during Summer League action, but said it “hit different” when he returned to Milwaukee and saw the team’s new practice facility.

He was also asked about the experience of hearing his name in trade rumors for several weeks as Miami pursued Antetokounmpo,

“I’m just happy to have an organization that wants me and wants me to play for them,” Herro said. “I’ve been a Bucks fan my whole life, so taking all the other stuff out, just being a kid from Milwaukee. … Take the contract stuff away, I’m home, playing for my home team. That itself is just as much value as any other contract or anything like that. I’m happy to just be home.”