Tyler Herro expects Heat extension to get done, but jokes 'I'm not going to lose my joy'

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Sep 30, 2025

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BOCA RATON, Fla. — The optimism is there.

“I expect to get something done,” Tyler Herro said of his contract-extension window that opens Wednesday and runs through Oct. 20, the day before the NBA opens the regular season.

But there also is a caution from the Miami Heat All-Star guard in case something doesn’t.

“I’m not going to lose my joy,” Herro said with a laugh. “I ain’t going to lose my joy.”

The reference was to how last season was sullied and staggered when Jimmy Butler acted out after failing to receive an extension of his own, eventually traded as the Heat careened to a 37-45 finish.

Further, Herro said he’s not getting caught up in the numbers, even as outsiders fixate on his eligibility for a three-year, $150 million maximum extension.

“It’s not as important as you all think, I will say that,” Herro said of potential final numbers, with the Heat opening training camp Tuesday at Florida Atlantic University. “It’s not that important to me. Being here is important — but being here at a respectable number, I should say. And for me, I have a number in my mind, as I did on the last contract extension. And that’s why I didn’t accept the max, because I wasn’t pressed on it, and I’m not pressed on it now.

“And I feel like a lot of people have put out that it’s $50 million or nothing. And it’s not that. You know what I mean? And at the end of the day, I want to be here, as I’ve said. But it’s about respect at the end of the day. So we’ll see what happens.”

Herro signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Heat prior to the 2022-23 season, to earn $31 million this season.

The timing of the extension window comes with Herro sidelined for at least the first month of the regular spectator following recent ankle surgery, leaving him as a spectator for camp.

He said he did not view being sidelined as a negotiation detriment, nor was he crushed by the timing of the injury in that regard, considering he remains under contract for the next two seasons, an extension to begin in 2027-28.

“I still got two years left on my deal,” he said. “And this shouldn’t hinder anything. I’ll be back damn near November 15, is the latest I’ll be back, right? So you won’t even notice I’m gone. I’ll be back pretty fast.”

Drafted by the Heat at No. 13 out of Kentucky in 2019, Herro said he is seeking mostly to maintain an enduring bond that has resulted in some of the best times and some of the toughest times. That run included his first All-Star nod last season.

“It is important for me,” he said of the extension. “Been here six years. I feel like I’ve earned it. I’m not saying what I’ve earned, but I’ve earned something. And I think I deserve it and I want to be here, ultimately. And I’ve vocally said that. But I do want to say, it’s not like a top priority, and I’m not going to hinder this season on getting an extension or not.”

That’s when he joked about the “joy” factor.

Which, he said, will become evident with new payday or not.

“Like I’m excited to play. Like at the end of the day, I have two years on my contract and if we don’t get something done, I’m not going to be a problem throughout the organization,” he said.

“I’m happy to be here at the end of the day. And there’s two years left. I would love to get something done, as I said. But we’ll see what happens.”

And now the clock ticks, 20 days to get a deal done — amid the circumstances of another extended absence.

“It would mean a lot,” he said. “Like I said, it’s part of the reason I want to get something done this summer. But, again, it’s not the end of the world and it’s not my top, only priority to get something done. Yeah, I would love to do it, but, like I said, it’s not the top priority. The top priority for me this year is winning and that will handle what I want at the end of the day.”