After weeks of rumors, the Miami Heat finally pulled off a blockbuster trade to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo shortly before midnight on Monday, June 22. They didn’t need to send Tyler Herro to the Detroit Pistons to make it happen – but that doesn’t mean the door has closed.
The Pistons have until July 6 before the trade is finalized, a near-two week window for it to expand beyond just the Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. Though it remains to be seen if the Bucks ultimately re-route Herro to a different team, the Pistons’ interest in the high-scoring guard has been documented. The question is if the price for the Milwaukee native – Herro grew up in the suburb of Greenfield, Wisconsin – remains too high for Detroit.
Many permutations of a potential three-team deal between the Pistons, Bucks and Heat involved the Pistons giving up at least two of Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland and Duncan Robinson with draft capital. Though the Pistons are determined to add more shooting and ball-handling to their roster this offseason, they also are being careful to not overpay.
Herro, 26, is on an expiring $33 million contract, and the Pistons will either have to extend him or risk losing him in unrestricted free agency next summer if they do end up acquiring him. They also have to contend with his injury history – Herro appeared in just 33 games last season and 42 games in 2023-24. Last year, the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and shot 48% overall and 37.8% from 3.
The Heat gave up a haul of draft picks and players to get Antetokounmpo. Per ESPN, Miami landed the 31-year-old superstar and Bobby Portis in exchange for Herro, Kel-el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, three first-round picks (including No. 13 in Tuesday’s draft), a pick swap in 2030 and a 2033 second-rounder.
The Pistons have all of their future first-round picks, including No. 21 overall in the first round of the draft on June 23. They will continue exploring avenues beyond Herro as they try to build on a 60-win season and address the flaws that led to them falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the playoffs in seven games.
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on X and/or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why Pistons can still acquire Tyler Herro after Heat-Bucks trade
Reporting by Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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By Omari Sankofa II, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
