Tyler Herro says contract talk can wait. Right now, the focus is on a fresh start in Milwaukee.
“I’m not really worried about it right now,” Herro told reporters Saturday at his youth basketball camp in Wisconsin, via Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.
Herro is eligible for an extension, but he’s entering the final year of his deal at $33 million and can hit unrestricted free agency next summer. For the moment, though, the bigger issue is getting settled with the Bucks after spending his first seven NBA seasons with the Heat.
The move came in the blockbuster trade that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami, and Herro arrives with a résumé that still carries plenty of weight. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists last season, though injuries limited him to 33 games.
He also made it clear he’s bringing some edge with him.
“I probably have the biggest chip on my shoulder that I’ve had in my career, coming to Milwaukee,” Herro said.
There’s also a hometown angle here. Herro grew up in the Milwaukee area and was a Bucks fan as a kid.
“My home team,” he said. “That itself is just as much value as any other contract or anything like that.”
Elsewhere, the Kawhi Leonard situation may finally be nearing the finish line.
Michael Grange of Sportsnet reports that league sources believe the fact-finding stage of the NBA’s investigation has wrapped up. The Clippers, the NBPA and other involved parties are now said to be “working quietly” toward a resolution, and Grange expects a settlement soon that would clear the way for Leonard to play for the Raptors.
That matters because Toronto’s trade for Leonard has been on hold while the league looks into allegations tied to endorsement agreements he had during his time with the Clippers. The NBA has been examining whether those arrangements were used to circumvent the salary cap.
Toronto agreed earlier this offseason to acquire Leonard, but the Raptors have been waiting for clarity on whether discipline could still be coming before finishing the deal. If Grange’s reporting proves accurate, that clarity may be close.
And in New York, Josh Hart’s workload may have helped unlock a more efficient version of his game.
Hart averaged 30.2 minutes under Knicks coach Mike Brown after leading the league at 37.6 minutes per game in his final season under Tom Thibodeau. His personal trainer, Stefan Valdes, told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News that the lighter load gave Hart fresher legs.
“I would say no matter how many minutes he plays, he’s going to give you the same output, but he had fresher legs,” Valdes said.
The numbers back that up at least a little. Hart shot 41 percent from 3-point range last season after making 33 percent the year before, and Valdes believes fatigue played a major role in the jump.
Hart has always been the kind of player who does a little bit of everything for New York. Cutting him back by seven minutes a night may have helped him do it better.
In Other News...
Kawhi Leonard Investigation Leaves Clippers Facing A Massive Trade Decision
The Kawhi Leonard investigation has put the Clippers in a difficult holding pattern, with the trade that sent him to the Toronto Raptors now paused while the league examines allegations that money was funneled to Leonard through companies including Aspiration and Daktronics. For Los Angeles, the issue is bigger than the paperwork around one deal. It has become a test of how the NBA handles a case that reaches into the business side of the sport and touches one of the leagues most scrutinized stars.
Around the league, the sense is that the process is moving beyond simple fact-finding, which only sharpens the pressure on everyone involved. There is already speculation about a possible negotiated settlement, but for now the Clippers are left waiting on a resolution that could reshape the trades future and determine how hard the league chooses to come down. [Read more 🡒]