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Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard wants a trade to the Miami Heat. The Heat want to send Tyler Herro to the Blazers as the centerpiece of the trade. Portland doesn’t want Herro. So here we are at a classic impasse. This means that for a deal to get done, a third team will have to get involved to take on Herro and provide the Blazers with assets they want more. If a third team does get involved, here are the best Tyler Herro trade destinations.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets are the top Tyler Herro trade destination right now. Brian Windhorst went on TV and didn’t quite do his famous “What are the Nets up to?” dance, but he did say Brooklyn is the team most likely to step in and facilitate a Heat-Blazers Damian Lillard trade. Adrian Wojnarowski also confirmed the Blazers have no interest in Herro.
The bones of this trade would be Lillard to Miami, Herro to Brooklyn, Ben Simmons to Portland along with a lot of picks and young players.
In this scenario, Herro is an excellent fit for Brooklyn — as long as they don’t have to give up too many additional players — because he gives the Nets the offensive focal point they need with defenders around him.
After the Kevin Durant trade, the Nets are now built around Mikal Bridges, one of the best young two-way players in the league. What he is not is a dominant offensive force who can take over games and be counted on to take the last shot of close games.
Herro is that type of player, and with long, talented defenders around him, his defensive liabilities won’t be as prominent. Plus, although it seems like he’s been around forever, Herro is just 23 years old. He fits with the Nets' timeline perfectly.
This is why the Nets are the best of the Tyler Herro trade destinations.
New York Knicks
The Nets' next-door neighbors, the New York Knicks, would also be a good Tyler Herro trade destination. This deal would center around Evan Fournier and his expiring $18 million contract headed to Portland.
The deal would save the Blazers over $25 million and give them much more flexibility moving forward into a rebuild. Also, the Knicks have all types of their own and protected picks from other teams to kick into the deal, which is attractive for Portland.
For the Knicks, another elite wing shooter would be excellent. With Herro in the mix, the team could play five-out lineups or four-out with Julius Randle on the inside. His floor-spacing ability is also ideal for a team with players who like to drive and cut, like Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson. Herro could be the exact piece the Knicks need to get over the hump and become true championship contenders next season.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics could also step in to help facilitate a Heat-Blazers Damian Lillard trade. This deal would send point guard Malcolm Brogdon and center Robert Williams III to Portland.
Brogdon could be a perfect veteran PG to mentor Scoot Henderson, and at $22.5 million over the next two seasons, he’ll be a valuable trade chip this season or next. As for Williams, he is an excellent big to pair with Henderson, and he’s under contract at $11.5-$13.2 million for the next three seasons.
Tyler Herro to the Celtics would make Boston the favorite to win the East, even with the Heat getting Lillard. Herro would take the scoring pressure off of Jaylen Brown and be a No. 2 potion to Jayson Tatum. Plus, like with the Nets, Boston has the D to cover for Herro’s weakness.
Three versatile wings like Tatum, Brown, and Herro could make the Celtics an unstoppable force next season.
Philadelphia 76ers
Finally, the Sixers are another team that could help get this deal done and be an intriguing Tyler Herro destination. The deal would give the Blazers Tobias Harris and his $39.2 million expiring contract. He would fit nicely with the pieces Portland has now and be an excellent trade chip at the deadline this season.
As for the Sixers, Herro fits perfectly alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, who Philly is now building its franchise around. Herro’s shooting gives both players more room to operate offensively, and he is a late-game shot-taker who can create his own shot, which the Sixers need.
This also assumes that James Harden gets traded, and the team gets a useful piece back for him as well. If that happens, a Herro-Embiid-Maxey lineup would absolutely keep the team in contention for a place in the Eastern Conference Finals next season.
