Will Tyler Herro’s Injury Affect the Miami Heat’s NBA Draft?

On Friday, the Miami Heat received rough news for one of their star players.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Tyler Herro — who earned his first All-Star bid in the 2024-25 season — is set to undergo surgery on his left foot and will be sidelined for the beginning of the 2025-26 season. In a follow-up tweet, Charania confirmed that the injury was suffered in an offseason workout.

Miami Heat All-Star Tyler Herro is undergoing surgery on his left foot and will be sidelined to begin the 2025-26 season, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 19, 2025

While a surface-level look into the injury shows that Miami will certainly be affected, an even deeper probe shows that this could have implications on the team’s 2026 NBA Draft next year.

Miami was already on the competitive bubble, having stars such as Herro and Bam Adebayo, but really lacking the punch necessary to compete near the top of the Eastern Conference.

Andrew Wiggins was a solid pickup for Jimmy Butler at last year’s trade deadline, though he’s not necessarily needle-moving himself. They also managed to add Norman Powell in the offseason, who scored a blistering 21.8 points per game for the Clippers last season. But few saw the Heat move into the contending tier with the move.

Together, a core-four of Herro, Adebayo, Wiggins and Powell likely could’ve fought for a lower postseason bid in the East. But with the most talented scorer of the bunch now set to sit at season’s start, things are somewhat up in the air.

There's currently no timetable for Herro's return, though it seems highly unlikely that he'll miss the season entirely. Even still, a slow start to the season could set a draft pivot into motion for the Miami Heat.

The 2026 NBA Draft is thought of to be a loaded one, offering three No. 1-level picks in Darryn Peterson, AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer. Should the Heat see a sloppy start in Herro's absence, pivoting to a more draft-positioned season likely wouldn't be the worst move for Miami.

It's been decades since the team was able to nab a top pick at the NBA Draft, and with a host of solid ancillary stars, nabbing a premier talent could be just what they need.

Additionally, the team has some young players that they could pour into — such as Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and more — should they choose the developmental route for the 2025-26 season.

The Heat organization will surely play things by ear before leaning fully toward the NBA Draft — Herro might return sooner than expected, and thrive in the team's new core. But Miami should certainly keep the option to pivot in their back pocket with Friday's news.

Even if they don't fully lean into draft mode, Herro's injury could be the deciding factor between landing a lottery pick, or landing in the twenties.