Pat Riley held his annual pre-draft press conference but worried many Miami Heat fans who are hoping the team will trade for another superstar.
Miami Heat team president Pat Riley spoke with the media ahead of Thursday’s NBA Draft about the direction of the Eastern Conference champions in the 2023 offseason. And one comment seemed to stick out as Riley noted, per Wes Goldberg of The Ringer, that the Heat would be content to run it back next season.
While he did say that — and send fans into anger at the possibility of not making one of several rumored trades for a star, most notably Damian Lillard — Riley did say that the Heat could do something to take the next step in building the team. That confirms that Miami is willing and likely to make a move if they can avoid giving up long-term assets they want to keep around.
This, however, does seem to be a frustrating point for fans as it sounds like Riley and the Heat aren’t willing to go all-in on a Lillard trade or any similar move.
NBA Rumors: Pat Riley casts doubt on Heat’s pursuit of Damian Lillard
Riley’s comments appear to indicate a lack of confidence in Miami getting Lillard this offseason. The Heat bypassed their chance at Bradley Beal in order to keep their best assets free for a deal with Portland. Beal probably preferred the Suns, his eventual destination, to be sure, but it didn’t seem as if the Heat made an aggressive attempt for the All-Star.
Perhaps the biggest competition in the Lillard trade market with Miami is the Brooklyn Nets, a team that does have more picks to offer the Trail Blazers. Having said that, the Heat probably can put together a more suitable offer to help a smaller-market team avoid a full rebuild and to win with the likes of Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe.
The biggest question would be if the Heat would include a player like Tyler Herro or another playable asset in addition to picks. Based on Riley’s comments, though, it seems that Miami might not be willing to do that.