The Tyler Herro flip rumors can take a break, at least for now. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said this week on ESPN Milwaukee that the Bucks intend to keep Herro after acquiring him in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. That changes the read on what Milwaukee is doing in this rebuild.
“From what I understand right now, the plan is for the Bucks to keep Tyler Herro,” Windhorst said. He did not rule out a future move entirely, but the language was clear. Milwaukee is not shopping the All Star guard the moment he gets to town.
The package the Bucks received for Giannis and Bobby Portis was massive. Three first round picks. A first round pick swap. A second round pick. Plus Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and Kasparas Jakucionis. That is a haul any rebuilding front office would take. Keeping Herro signals that this is not a full burn it down rebuild. Milwaukee wants to compete sooner rather than later.
Herro fits in Milwaukee for reasons that go beyond basketball. He is from Wisconsin. He attended Whitnall High School in Milwaukee County before heading to Kentucky. Coming home as the lead guard of the team he grew up watching is exactly the kind of story that sells tickets in a small market. The Bucks need stars and they need narratives. Herro provides both.
The basketball case is strong too. Herro just finished his seventh NBA season. He has career averages of 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists across 394 games with Miami. He shoots the three at a high clip. He can create in the pick and roll. He has been a primary scorer in playoff series. He is 26 years old. He is right at his prime.
Pair Herro with Damian Lillard if Lillard returns from the Achilles injury, and Milwaukee suddenly has a backcourt that can score on anyone. Add Ware, a long athletic young big who can defend and finish lobs, and the post Giannis Bucks have a foundation. The future first round picks then become trade ammunition or developmental swings.
This is the bet GM Jon Horst is making. Tear the band aid off the Giannis era. Keep the talent that came back. Use the picks to add a second star or a coaching staff piece. Try to be a top four seed in two years instead of bottoming out for five.
The risk with Herro is health and defense. He has had injury stretches that have limited his impact in the playoffs. He is not a strong individual defender. In Miami those issues were covered by Bam Adebayo and elite team defense. Milwaukee will need to build a similar structure around him.
The other risk is trade value. By keeping Herro now, the Bucks are signaling that they value him as a building block. If he plays well in a featured role, his price tag goes up and his trade value rises. If he struggles or gets hurt, the team loses leverage. Either way, the decision is locked in for at least the start of next season.
For Milwaukee fans, this is the news they wanted. The Giannis era ending was always going to be painful. Bringing home a Wisconsin kid who can score is a much better consolation prize than expiring contracts and second round picks.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
