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Miami Heat: What a 10-year dynasty would’ve looked like with LeBron

By Rohan Campbell

INDIANAPOLIS, IND - MAY 20: LeBron James #6 and Dwyane Wade #30 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Indiana Pacers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on May 20, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2014 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IND - MAY 20: LeBron James #6 and Dwyane Wade #30 of the Miami Heat during the game against the Indiana Pacers in Game Two of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on May 20, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2014 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Given Riley’s comments that he felt a “10-year dynasty” walked out the door when LeBron James left, what are some realistic moves you think the Miami Heat could’ve made, if Lebron stayed and with a healthy Bosh, to make those comments a reality?

Rahmeaun (@Boneman9000):

The first move should’ve been not to draft Shabazz Napier in 2014. I know LeBron James let it be known that he liked Napier as a prospect, but he’s not the guy you go for when you’re coming off an embarrassing 4-1 Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs and your roster is already capped out. Looking at the Heat’s draft selections during the big ‘three’ era, it’s safe to say they missed the boat on every single one of them. What if I told you the Heat drafted Bojan Bogdanovic (via Timberwolves 2011 2nd round pick included in the Michael Beasley deal) but then traded him back to Minnesota to draft rookie point guard Norris Cole? Yep! The Heat did that. With that being said, I don’t think there are any more moves Pat Riley could’ve made to bolster the roster that summer. It was clear James was going back home and after four seasons of paying the luxury tax. It was time to give up the ghost.

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Imran (@iebrahim81):

With a firm ‘yes’ by LeBron James that he was staying, the Heat would’ve looked miles different than they eventually ended up looking. While fans ended up with Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng and Danny Granger, remember how close the Heat were to having Pau Gasol and Trevor Ariza replace them instead. Both players have since mentioned that the unknown of James returning eventually led them to join other teams. Much to the chagrin of Heat fans, we probably still would’ve ended up with Shabazz Napier to keep the ‘King’ happy. Do you think Ray Allen retires if LeBron James comes back? Now, Shane Battier might still have left, but a Trevor Ariza would’ve been a perfect replacement for him. Golden State ended up with David West on a good deal, but he may easily have replaced Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen for the Heat over the next couple seasons. While analysts are quick to mention that Dwyane Wade was aging quickly at the time, there’s no doubt that Riley would’ve had ample assets to keep the team fighting in the Eastern Conference for years to come.

One silver lining that comes from LeBron James leaving is that the Heat wouldn’t have ended up with the 10th and 40th pick in the next draft, a draft that saw them take Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson.

Rohan (@theboyro):

If LeBron has stayed with the Heat in the summer of 2014, some changes would have been made. The 2013-14 Heat team was easily the worst of the big three era so I would think Ray Allen would have returned and still been pretty good from three. The Josh McRoberts signing was so bad but may have worked if LeBron was here. Wait. Let me explain. He was a big man who could shoot and was a decent three point shooter. That would have been huge… had he stayed healthy. I could have seen it work, but he was awful here. Oh well. The drafting of Shabazz Napier was something LeBron wanted. He had his moments here but would have learned much more if LeBron stayed. Would he have started if LeBron was here? Possibly. Wade was declining at this point but still played well. He still would have had those DNP- rest situations that annoyed LeBron at times. Other possible signings the Heat could have made were LeBron’s bro Eric Bledsoe, Lance Stephenson (hey, he plays with LeBron on the Lakers now!), Chandler Parsons (he was healthy at this time), and Pau Gasol (shooting big man). Bosh resigned so that would have helped with the new NBA. So many possibilities but we’ll never know. The Heat would have reloaded and made more finals appearances.

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