Not particularly strong, long, laterally quick or even altogether committed to the multiple efforts of modern NBA defense, Tyler Herro is no stranger to being targeted on the court. But he’s not used to being targeted like this off the court, with his name and game being dragged across all sports-talk platforms and through the toxicity of Twitter discourse.
Such is life as the centerpiece player of the Miami Heat’s presumed trade package for Damian Lillard, who in theory should, in addition to the normal basket of draft picks that exchange hands in these blockbuster deals, be valuable enough to fetch the Blazers a young gun with All-Star upside.
After all, the Nets got Mikal Bridges for Kevin Durant. The Thunder got Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George. The Pelicans got Brandon Ingram for Anthony Davis. Herro, even through the prism of the most optimistic projection, isn’t close to that level of player. And he’s due $120 million over the next four years.
“The league as a whole has become really skeptical of these one-way guys,” an Eastern Conference scout told CBS Sports. “Everyone thinks in terms of the playoffs now. It used to be, if you could score 20 points, you were a dude. No questions asked. But now, if you have a weakness, if you can’t hold your own on the defensive end, unless you’re a franchise guy, you’re going to get played off the court.”
Indeed, the Lakers had to cut D’Angelo Russell, a one-time $117 million player who just signed again for nearly $20 million per year, out of their closing lineups in the playoffs. The Warriors could hardly justify playing Jordan Poole, another $100 million-plus player, in last year’s postseason before they salary dumped him on the Wizards this summer.
It begs the question: Why are these types of players making so much money if they’re not seen as highly valuable players? Part of it can be, and often is, a product of a cap-strapped team, or small-market team, that has little means of replacing the production, so the contract becomes the lesser of evils when pitted against…
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