Heat’s Tyler Herro has incentive to become one of NBA’s best — literally and figuratively

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro insists he doesn’t need any extra motivation. He already has enough to fuel him.

But once Herro’s new contract takes effect beginning in the 2023-24 season, he will have some extra incentive to strive for more — literally and figuratively. Herro signed a four-year extension with the Heat on Oct. 2 that includes $120 million guaranteed and another $10 million in incentives.

Player-by-player guide: What to expect from Miami Heat’s roster entering the 2022-23 season

Those incentives, which are currently considered as unlikely bonuses and thus do not count toward the Heat’s salary cap for those future seasons, are tied to different benchmarks Herro must reach to unlock them. Those benchmarks include winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, making an All-NBA team, earning a spot in the NBA All-Star Game and being named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

“I’m not motivated by my incentives,” Herro, 22, said ahead of the Heat’s season opener against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night at FTX Arena. “Obviously, I’m still a motivated player. But my incentives don’t really motivate me at all, to be honest. I’m just going to continue to play my game and whatever comes with that comes with it.”

For example, during the 2023-24 season: Herro can earn an additional $1 million if he’s named the NBA MVP, $1 million if he’s an All-NBA First Team or Second Team selection, $500,000 if he’s an All-NBA Third Team selection, $1 million if he makes the NBA All-Star Game and $750,000 if he wins the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

But the amount of incentive money Herro can earn each season during his four-year extension is capped at $2.5 million.

While winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award might be considered the unlikeliest of unlikely incentives for Herro, the feeling within the Heat organization is that he will be an improved defender in his fourth NBA season. And Herro agrees.

“I’m quicker, stronger, smarter, more experienced,” Herro said. “I think every year, just like my offense gets better, I think my defense gets better, too.”

With Herro expected to play as part of a Heat starting lineup that also includes Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo, he knows his defense will again be targeted by opponents this season.

Herro is a natural scorer, but his individual defense has not been considered a strength in his first few NBA seasons with teams often hunting him on switches to test him on that end of the court. With some physical limitations at 6-5 and 205 pounds, Herro allowed 1.12 points per possession in isolation situations (17th percentile in the NBA) last regular season.

“Obviously, I’m the worst defender in that group,” Herro said. “Guys are going to go at me, obviously. Our four other guys in the starting five are lockdown defenders or were at some point in their career. So I’m expecting that guys will come at me. But I feel like I can hold my own.”

HASLEM’S FINAL OPENER

With Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem beginning his 20th and final NBA season, Wednesday’s matchup against the Bulls will mark his last season opener.

“Are we going to have to do that all year, his last home game, last road trip? I don’t even want to think about that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said with a laugh. “I’ve said it before, I went through that with Dwyane [Wade] and I really want to be present and enjoy it. I don’t want to get sad thinking about the end of this chapter. Because there’s going to be another great chapter after this. I just want to be able to enjoy it.”

Haslem, 42, has been on Miami’s roster in each of Spoelstra’s 15 seasons as the Heat’s head coach.

“I love having him in our locker room. I love having him lead and mentor every single day,” Spoelstra said. “I think his genius is the fact that he’s developing mentors around him, the next round of mentors, the guys who will really be caretakers for this culture and really help bring along other guys. It’s really an amazing quality that UD has. He has such a serving heart.”

Haslem will become only the third player — as long as he appears in at least one game this season — to spend an entire NBA career lasting at least 20 seasons with one team. That exclusive list includes Dirk Nowitzki (21 seasons with Dallas Mavericks) and Kobe Bryant (20 seasons with Los Angeles Lakers), and Haslem will be the only one to do it in his hometown.

WHAT’S GUARANTEED?

Only $50,000 of Heat forward Haywood Highsmith’s $1.8 million salary for this upcoming season was guaranteed prior to this week.

But with Highmith on the Heat’s roster for opening night, an additional $350,000 of his salary for this season has become guaranteed to lift the total that’s guaranteed to $400,000.

Then an additional $300,000 will be guaranteed if he’s on the team’s roster on Dec. 1, bringing the total of guaranteed salary to $700,000 at that point.

The remaining $1.1 million of his salary for this season becomes guaranteed if he’s still with the Heat on Jan. 10.

Highsmith, 25, averaged 6.2 points while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 6 of 17 (35.3 percent) from three-point range, four rebounds and 1.8 assists per game in five appearances this preseason.

HEAT DONATION

The Heat partnered with World Central Kitchen and Direct Relief to provide support to affected communities in Southwest Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian, the team announced Tuesday.

The Heat and the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation made a $1 million donation—$500,000 to WCK, a nonprofit organization that uses the power of food to heal communities and strengthen economies in times of crisis and beyond, and $500,000 to Direct Relief, a humanitarian aid organization with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies.

▪ The Bulls will be without two starters in Wednesday night’s game against the Heat.

Chicago ruled out star wing Zach LaVine on Wednesday afternoon after listing him as questionable on Tuesday’s injury report because of left knee injury management. Bulls guard Lonzo Ball also remains out after undergoing surgery on his left knee in late September.

The Heat will be without guard Victor Oladipo (left knee tendinosis) and center Omer Yurtseven (left ankle impingement) in Wednesday’s opener.