Miami Heat: 3 Goals for president Pat Riley in 2018-19

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BOSTON, MA – DECEMBER 20: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics takes a shot against Josh Richardson #0 of the Miami Heat during the second half at TD Garden on December 20, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Heat defeat the Celtics 90-89. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Go Fishing

For a guy that landed the Big Diesel, the King, and got meetings with Gordon Hayward, LaMarcus Aldridge (just to tell him that he didn’t have enough money and that he should wait a year for the Heat), and Kevin Durant, Riley is obviously always looking landing the biggest whale he possibly can.

The summer of 2019 is like the Shamu feeding grounds at SeaWorld.

Durant, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, Kemba Walker, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and Khris Middleton could all be on the market. And that doesn’t even include the possible restricted free agent market.

And like I stated in the previous slide, it will be tough to have enough money to even get one of those players in the room. But it’s Riley.

Now Riley has an in with some of the guys on the list, more than others.

He’s gotten in the room with Durant before and the star definitely has a soft spot for head coach Erik Spoelstra. In 2017, on Bill Simmons’ podcast, he was on the record of saying:

"“I think coach Spoelstra is definitely underrated… He’s one of the best coaches in the league. He’s been one of the best coaches for the last six years.”"

He further goes on to state how he liked to watch how James was utilized in Spoelstra’s system.

Another guy who could be a centerpiece for the Heat for years to come is Irving. Miami was on his supposed shortlist when he wanted out of Cleveland.

But the biggest dark horse, and it really clicked in my head when I heard it, is Butler. The Jump recently had a segment in which they were talking about whether Irving and Butler would team up on the Knicks…

Just take a look.

First of all, all the points made in the video about the Heat are true. He’s a perfect fit for the culture; he’s a grinder, and he’s got connections with Wade already. If this is the move, so be it.

Now it’s up to Riley to start working on it behind the scenes, either by clearing up cap space already, or by perhaps speaking to the Minnesota Timberwolves and seeing if a deal could be made before the next offseason.

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