Tyler Herro’s extension makes RJ Barrett’s Knicks contract look that much better

A month after RJ Barrett and the New York Knicks agreed to a four-year extension, Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat did the same. A few months after being named the 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Herro agreed to a four-year, $130 million extension.

Barrett signed a $120 million extension with $107 million being guaranteed, while Herro’s guaranteed $120 million. Herro’s spent the majority of his first three seasons in the league coming off the bench for Miami, but based on his new contract, he could be slid into the starting lineup for the Heat this season.

In 2021-22, Herro averaged 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 66 games (10 starts) while shooting 44.7% from the field and 39.9% from the three-point line in 32.6 minutes. Barrett averaged 20 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 70 starts while shooting 40.8% from the floor and 34.2% from deep in 34.5 minutes.

For Herro, his numbers resulted in him getting $13 million more in guaranteed money than Barrett. His extension came a few days after he said, “There’s players across the league that have gotten paid that I know I’m better than.”

Tyler Herro’s extension with Heat proves the Knicks didn’t overpay RJ Barrett

With the Oct. 17 deadline still a couple of weeks away, Herro’s now got his money, and it’s more than what Barrett got from the Knicks. RJ’s no stranger to disrespect and his contract and its timing has been critiqued over the past few weeks, but overall, signing him to an extension was a smart move for New York to make.

Herro deserved to be paid as well, but the value of his contract is debatable. Barrett’s more valuable to the Knicks and has a higher potential than Herro, which makes the contract that New York offered RJ look like a steal in comparison to what Herro received. In a year or two, it’ll be very interesting to see which deal has aged better.

Barrett’s believed to be on the verge of a breakout season, while Herro’s efforts coming off the bench last year were recognized as the best in the NBA. However, that effort didn’t carry over to the playoffs in 2022, where Herro (who was dealing with a groin injury) averaged 12.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 25.4 minutes while shooting 40.9% from the field and 22.9% from the three-point line in 15 games. When Miami was swept in the first round of the 2021 playoffs by Milwaukee, Herro averaged 9.3 points and shot 31.6% from the field and 31.6% from deep.

The Heat are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and could make another deep playoff run this season, but Herro’s postseason history shows that he’s not reliable when it matters most. That doesn’t mean that he won’t be able to change that narrative, and Miami seems to believe that he’ll be able to do that by offering him that amount of money.

Barrett and Herro have been compared to one another since they were drafted in 2019, but which player is better should no longer be a discussion. RJ will have the opportunity to widen the gap between him and Herro in 2022-23. After scoring a career-high 46 points against the Heat last February, RJ Barrett and New York will have to wait until Feb. 2 to go up against Herro and Miami.

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