Heat’s Tyler Herro Faces Uncertain Return After Mysterious Foot Surgery Delays Season Start

Tyler Herro won’t be tipping off the 2025-26 NBA season with the Miami Heat — at least not right away. The talented guard recently underwent surgery to fix issues in his left foot and ankle, a setback that’s been nagging him since summer despite efforts to dodge the operating room. Miami’s got their prized scorer sidelined for about eight weeks, which means Herro might only hit the hardwood sometime around mid-November. Now, considering his standout performance last season where he led the team in scoring and playmaking, the Heat will surely feel the sting of his absence early on. Plus, there’s the looming contract extension talks that add another layer to his off-court story. As the team gears up for training camp, all eyes will be on Herro’s rehab and what this means for Miami’s aspirations this year. LEARN MORE.

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro will miss the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season after undergoing surgery on his left foot and ankle, according to the Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang.

The injury is something that has been affecting Herro since the summer, Chiang reports. The Heat guard recently received PRP and cortisone injections as a way to avoid surgery, but Herro continued feeling discomfort in the foot.

Friday’s surgery alleviated posterior impingement syndrome in Herro’s left ankle, according to the team. His timetable to return is expected to be eight weeks, which would place his return around mid-November, approximately 14 games into the regular season.

Herro, 25 is entering his seventh NBA season — all with the Heat. Last season, he led the team with a career-high 23.9 points and 5.5 assists per game in 77 games. He also shot a 37.5% from 3-point range and his presence was missed on the court with Miami scoring 8.6 fewer points per possession with him sitting out.

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His play earned his a place in the NBA All-Star Game as part of Kenny Smith’s “Young Stars” team, along with the likes of Cade Cunningham, Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards, among others. He also went on to win the 3-point contest.

Herro and the Heat are eligible on Oct. 1 to begin discussing a contract extension where he would be able to add a three-year, $149.7 million deal to the two years and $64 million remaining on his current contract. Should the two sides fail to reach an agreement by Oct. 20, Herro would then become eligible for a four-year, $206.9 million extension next summer.

Representatives for Herro and the Heat are reportedly expected to meet in early October. Team president Pat Riley said in May that discussions may wait until next offseason.

“Pay me now or pay me later, whatever it is,” Riley said. “We’ve already talked about it. I talked about it with Tyler, and so we’ll see what happens as we plan. The numbers are getting pretty big for a lot of guys. Max salaries in this league, who do they go to? I mean, who do they go to and who is really? If you’re going to make $70 million a year, who are those five or 10 guys that deserve that? But Tyler definitely is deserving of the thought of an extension. But are we going to do it? We haven’t committed to it, but we’re going to discuss it and I’ve already talked to him about it. He’s cool.”

The Heat are scheduled to open training camp on Sept. 30.