The Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers remain at a standstill in finding the right trade package to ship Damian Lillard to South Beach. The most optimal way, at the moment, is bringing in a third team to finally complete the deal. Tyler Herro is among those being linked to the Lillard trade, but by the looks of it, he might end up with the conduit if both Miami and Portland finally find that missing link. More teams have expressed their interest in becoming the conduit of the Lillard trade just to bring in Herro.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported that the Toronto Raptors became the latest team to inquire about Herro's availability. The Raptors “have expressed exploratory interest in acquiring Herro” as the third team in the Lillard deal according to Scotto.

In earlier reports, the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Utah Jazz were linked as well in the trade for Herro. Toronto, Brooklyn, Chicago, and Utah have all the reasons to discuss with Miami about possibly bringing Herro with them.

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Tyler Herro was stellar in his last two seasons with the Heat, averaging a combined 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He was named the 2022 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, and he became a full-time starter last season. Herro's season ended abruptly when he broke his right hand during Game 1 of Miami's playoff first-round series against Milwaukee.

However, the injury became the Heat's fuel to spark a Cinderella run to the NBA Finals, becoming only the second eighth-seeds to enter the championship round. Despite the efforts, they dearly missed Tyler Herro in the Finals after the Denver Nuggets dominated them en route to a five-game finish.

Once he returns, though, he could be a key piece in the Raptors' rebuild.