Heat's Tyler Herro 'Glad' Blazers Didn't Want Him Amid Damian Lillard Trade Rumors

Arguably nobody in the basketball world had to take more slander over the past few months than Tyler Herro.

The 2022 Sixth Man of the Year saw his name dragged through the mud amid the Damian Lillard trade saga between the Portland Trail Blazers and his Miami Heat.

But with Lillard ultimately landing in Milwaukee with the Bucks, Herro is happy he didn't have to make the move to the Pacific Northwest.

"I didn't want to go to Portland, so I'm glad Portland didn't want me," Herro told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman. "I just don't want to be in Portland. So it's not personal with Portland, at all.

"I'm just happy to be on the court. I haven't played since April. I broke my hand and I haven't played since then, so I'm ready to play."

Throughout the early portion of Lillard trade negotiations, Miami seemed like the heavy front-runner as the seven-time's All-Star preferred destination. But people in the NBA community continually ripped the Heat's potential trade package, with Herro being the centerpiece of the haul.

It didn't help that Blazers and general manager Joe Cronin weren't exactly ecstatic about adding Herro to their stable of young, talented guards. The organization already has Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe and Afernee Simons as part of its backcourt rotation.

Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported early in the process that any deal between Portland and Miami would likely require a third team to reroute Herro.

Instead, Herro will be staying put in South Florida and has several reasons to be happy about it.

Aside from the weather, the Heat have a squad that is ready to compete for a title right away. It is fresh off a run to the NBA Finals as a No. 8 seed last season with Herro sidelined by a hand injury.

Meanwhile, Portland is at the beginning of a rebuild and will look to build around Henderson for the foreseeable future.

And with the trade rumors behind him, Herro is just looking forward to hooping.

"I'm just going to be myself, play my game, and be myself," he said. "I'm not looking for approval from anybody."

Last season Herro was Miami's third leading scorer, averaging 20.1 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists on 43.9 percent shooting from the field.