"We're not contenders" - Tyler Herro keeps it real about Heat's NBA title aspirations after Jimmy Butler trade

Tyler Herro's Miami Heat retooled at the trade deadline by moving on from disgruntled superstar forward Jimmy Butler. However, according to Herro, Miami's return wasn't enough to make it a legitimate 2025 NBA championship contender.

Butler led the Heat to two NBA Finals appearances over his five-and-a-half-year tenure with the franchise, most recently in 2023. However, after not seeing eye-to-eye in contract extension negotiations, he forced the team's hand via a Jan. 2 trade request.

After extensive rumors, Miami gave in and dealt Butler to the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6 in a massive five-team trade. The organization netted role players Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson and Davion Mitchell, along with Golden State's top-10 protected 2025 first-round draft pick.

The Heat still have two All-Star-caliber players in Herro and star center Bam Adebayo. Meanwhile, Wiggins brings championship experience on the wing.

Nevertheless, with Butler gone, Herro doesn't see his squad returning to contention this season. During Tuesday's appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, the sharpshooter underscored the difficulty of making a title run and how Miami is ill-equipped to do so.

"I don't think people realize how hard it is to win a championship, and everything has to fall in line," Herro said. "I think, right now — we started the season with Jimmy saying we were gonna try to win a championship — I think, obviously, if we're calling a spade a spade, we're not contenders right now."

The Heat (25-28) have gone 0-4 since dealing Butler, dropping to ninth in the Eastern Conference at the All-Star break. So, they will likely need to step up their play considerably over their final 29 games to avoid missing the playoffs.

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Tyler Herro optimistic about Heat's young core's development sans Jimmy Butler

While the Jimmy Butler trade hasn't translated to wins for Miami, according to Tyler Herro, it is paying dividends for his team's young core's development.

During his SiriusXM NBA Radio appearance, the first-time All-Star noted that several of the Heat's young players have been finding themselves since the deal.

"I think with the team that we're trying to put together now, we have a lot of young guys that can really help us win," Herro said. "Kel'el Ware's really coming into his own. Niko(la) Jovic, (Jaime) Jaquez (Jr.). So, I think we have a lot of young guys that are starting to really see where their role can be with the new roster we have."

Ware, in particular, has been a revelation for Miami since assuming its starting center role. The lanky 7-footer has flashed two-way upside, nearly averaging a double-double through 12 games as a starter.

However, without a bona fide No. 1 scoring option, the Heat may be in danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2019.

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