New Lakers Trade Rumors Reveal Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware Talks Before Giannis-Heat-Bucks Blockbuster

The Los Angeles Lakers explored a trade with the Miami Heat that included guard Tyler Herro and center Kel'el Ware, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

While the Lakers would've needed to throw in some salaries to make the deal work, they were prepared to give up multiple first-round picks, per Scotto.

The matter is moot now. The Heat reportedly are trading Herro and Ware to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the blockbuster for Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Herro could plausibly be rerouted. He has a $33 million expiring salary, and losing Antetokounmpo could put Milwaukee squarely in rebuild mode. Flipping Herro to a contender makes obvious sense.

Scotto reported there's no consensus on whether the Bucks will tear it down or keep Herro with an eye toward trying to compete in 2026-27.

If a Herro trade is on the table, Los Angeles probably took itself out of the running when it committed a four-year, $184.8 million contract to Austin Reaves. Acquiring Herro would on top of that tie up a lot of money in the backcourt before accounting for LeBron James' possible return and some frontcourt upgrades.

Ware would've given the Lakers the center they badly need as a rim-runner alongside Luka Dončić. He's also on a cheap rookie contract.

Herro, meanwhile, may have been eyed as a replacement if L.A. and Reaves couldn't reach an agreement. The 26-year-old is a proven scorer and three-point threat, both of which would've meshed nicely in a Dončić-led offense.

President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka is bound to focus on other areas of the roster now.