The start of training camp is less than a month away, but the Miami Heat still have some work to do before the end of the offseason. Over the next few weeks, the Heat’s No. 1 priority should be to sign Nikola Jovic to a contract extension and, surprisingly, not Tyler Herro.

Jovic has done enough this summer to prove he’s worth the team-friendly extension that he’d likely be in line for before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. Perhaps more importantly, Jovic could get an extension without completely handcuffing the Heat financially heading into the future.

Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about Herro, and that should make Jovic the clear one player Miami pushes hard to try and lock up before the end of the summer.

Heat should prioritize re-signing Jovic over Herro

If the Heat believes the hype surrounding Jovic heading into this upcoming season, the decision should be simple. Herro is a much more complicated decision that comes with much more risk.

If the Heat were to sign Jovic to an extension, he’s probably looking at a $12-15 million per year deal. That could end up looking like a huge discount if he takes the fringe-star leap that many are expecting him to take this upcoming season.

Jovic stood out as one of the best players for Team Serbia in the EuroBasket Tournament, and there are many who believe he’s just now beginning to scratch the surface of his potential.

On the other hand, Herro may have already hit his ceiling as an All-Star offensive-minded guard, and it’s difficult to envision him taking another leap in his development. Additionally, at $40-50 million per season, his extension would probably end any hope the Heat has of landing a superstar player within the next two seasons.

Because of that, it’s pretty clear that the Heat should prioritize Jovic over Herro at this point, but it may not be that simple after all.

Is Jovic willing to bet on himself?

Of course, there may be a problem. There’s no guarantee that Jovic would want to sign a team-friendly deal after the summer he had. With the momentum he’s built over the last month, with his impressive showing in the EuroBasket Tournament, it may make more sense for Jovic to bet on himself this season in an attempt to continue to raise his price tag.

If Jovic believes that he’s going to have a huge season this year, there’s no question he’ll be in line to make much more money if he were to wait to test restricted free agency next summer. But that plan does come with some risk. If Jovic gets injured or doesn’t have the season he believes he may be in line for, it could completely tank his value heading into free agency.

And that’s something Jovic (and his camp) would have to work through.

Is Jovic and the Heat willing to play the long game with each other? Are they willing to take on the risk of playing this contract year out? We should get some clarity on this soon.

However, one thing is for sure: if the Heat do end up extending one more player this offseason, it should be Jovic, and not Herro.