The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade to Miami became official Monday afternoon, and with it came the end of Tyler Herro’s seven-year run with the Heat. The 26-year-old guard, who was the centerpiece of the package sent to Milwaukee alongside draft compensation for Giannis and Bobby Portis Jr., posted a goodbye to the city and the franchise that drafted him in 2019.
Herro shared a highlight reel of his Miami career on social media, and his caption wasn’t canned PR. He called the city home. He talked about arriving as a 19-year-old from Kentucky who hadn’t proven anything yet, and leaving as a man, a father, and a guy who made two Finals trips.
“It’s hard to put into words what this city has meant to me,” Herro wrote. “When Miami drafted a 19-year-old kid out of Kentucky, they believed in me before I’d proven anything. Together, we experienced just about everything this game has to offer.”
He went on: “Through every challenge, every expectation, every rumor and every setback, I always believed in one thing: put your head down, go to work and represent the name on the front of the jersey the right way. Every time I stepped on the floor, my goal was to help bring another championship to Miami. This city gave me more than a basketball career. It gave me a place to grow up. I became a man here, I became a father here, I built lifelong relationships here. Miami became home.”
Herro’s Miami legacy is bigger than one trade
It’s easy to forget how fast Herro’s career trajectory shifted. He won Sixth Man of the Year in 2022, made the All-Rookie second team back in 2020, and eventually earned his first All-Star selection in 2025. He also won the three-point contest that same year. That’s not a bad resume for a kid picked 13th overall.
But the Heat are in win-now mode, and adding a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo is the kind of move that changes a franchise’s entire timeline. Herro understood that. His post thanked Erik Spoelstra, Pat Riley, Micky Arison, his teammates and the fans for sticking with him through the good and the bad.
“A part of me will always belong to Miami,” he wrote.
He also said he’s “excited” to go back home to Wisconsin and play for the Bucks. Milwaukee is getting a proven scorer who can create his own shot, which is something that roster has needed around Damian Lillard. Whether Herro starts or comes off the bench in Milwaukee, he’s going to get plenty of opportunities.
The Heat also thanked Herro publicly, posting a tribute video of their own. The trade confirms that Miami is all-in on Giannis for the next few years. But for Herro, it’s a fresh start in a familiar place.
Leave a Comment