Now we wait for Pat Riley’s next move

Miami Heat president Pat Riley swings for the fences. Does he have one more home run in him?

With the Dwyane Wade era having come to a sudden and unfortunate end, the Miami Heat face an uncertain period in their foreseeable future.

Although the franchise has recently had to bounce back from the LeBron James departure back to Cleveland, Wade has been the lifeblood of the organization since his arrival in 2003. His departure cuts to the core of the culture the Heat have helped build over time.

With both Wade and James in the rearview mirror, and with Chris Bosh facing an uncertain period in his own right due to the blood clots that have surfaced in each of the past two seasons, there are some huge decisions that need to be made going forward.

In his time as team president, which began in 1995, Pat Riley has never been known to sit idle.

In his debut season for the Heat as both team president and head coach, he managed to trade for Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, two centerpiece players whom would help the build the franchise for the coming years.

Beginning with 42 wins in 1995-96, the Heat went onto win over 50 games in each of the next five seasons, aside from the lockout shortened 1999-2000 season where they compiled a record equivalent to 54 wins.

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It was at the conclusion of this winning period, in a manner similar to the current Bosh situation, that Mourning was diagnosed with a kidney ailment.

This significantly disrupted the momentum of the franchise, and it took the emergence of Wade and the eventual acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal to deliver the franchise its first NBA title in 2006.

Fast forward to 2010 and it became the Big 3 of James, Wade and Bosh. The result: four finals appearances, two titles and, with it, the Heat became a worldwide phenomenon.

Riley now has another momentous challenge on his hands. He can wait patiently until the summer of 2017 which presents a hoard of high profile free-agents, including Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul.

No one can doubt Riley’s ability to secure free-agents, but of course there are no certainties, as his Durant pursuit demonstrated.

By filling out the roster for the 2016-17 season with a number of one-year contracts, it’s clear that signing free agents next summer is, at the very least, an option.

Conversely, as has been the case in the past, Riley could look to make some big-time trades in an effort to push the team over the top, as evidenced by the aforementioned Mourning, Hardaway and O’Neal trades.

The question now is: who is Riley targeting and how much is prepared to give up?

Last season’s rookies Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson would be highly attractive players to a large number of teams. With the recent increase in the salary cap, Goran Dragic and his remaining four-year, $64 million contract is now much more attractive for teams looking to upgrade at the point.

The Heat have their 2017 first-round draft pick, however due to the Stepien Rule which states teams are unable to trade their first round picks in consecutive seasons (their 2016 first round pick was used to acquire Dragic), they are restricted to trading their current players.

With the success the Heat have experienced in recent years, on top of the success Riley himself has experienced over a long period as Head coach and top executive, rival teams almost certainly are going to make it very difficult if indeed Riley decides to swing from the fences and pull off a blockbuster trade.

more: Who is to blame for Dwyane Wade's departure?

Having said that, the Kevin Durant exodus from Oklahoma City to the Golden State Warriors should serve as a warning to several teams with big-name players coming out of contract, that it could also happen to them.

Riley’s next move could come close to being the most pivotal in his 20 years with the Heat. Whatever he decides, do expect him to go out with a bang.