Miami Heat president Pat Riley took to the microphone on Monday to conduct his season-ending press conference, and he sure had some no-nonsense points about his future with the organization, Bam Adebayo, players missing games, and the Heat's offseason plans.Â
The Heat suffered from a few things this past season, but injuries hurt them the most; an argument can also be made that Miami's inconsistency among its better players was subpar, but time missed from key starters and role players was a main character in their 2025-26 storyline.
Nevertheless, with changes coming to the Heat this offseason, Riley made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere, but one of the more interesting comments he made regarded the type of player he would seek out this summer, and considering his expectations, one superstar wouldn't make the cut, and it's not Giannis Antetokounmpo.
If Pat Riley has any say, Heat are unlikely to pursue Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard is the other superstar that may very well be available this offseason alongside Antetokounmpo and, surprisingly, Kevin Durant, depending on how the Houston Rockets finish their round one playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers.Â
But here, the focus is on Leonard, who has quietly been linked to the Heat more in recent weeks as a possible superstar target if any attempt to land Antetokounmpo fell through. Firstly, a healthy Leonard with Adebayo and a deep Heat squad would instantly make them better. Secondly, the Heat would get what they want: a superstar and true No. 1 option.
A lot of credit has to go to Leonard for this past season. He was healthy and available, and he had his best season since joining the LA Clippers during the 2019 offseason. It's Leonard's accumulated time leading up to this past season that has made the Clippers-Leonard experiment an outright failure, largely due to his injuries.Â
So when Riley speaks of players he looks for, they are the ones who have played games; Leonard doesn't exactly fit the bill, save for this past season, of course. Riley said this during his season-ending press conference, and while he didn't mention Leonard by name, it's easy to read between the lines, or at the very least, speculate who his comments can be related to.Â
Is Kawhi Leonard really worth the risk for the Heat?
Riley stated that while the team will "aggressively pursue" talent, they do not want "damaged goods." Is Leonard damaged goods? Or was this past season an indication of a different version of Leonard that some other team besides the Clippers will benefit from next season? Another question to ask is, is it worth the risk if you're the Heat?
Again, Leonard was excellent for the Clippers this season, posting 27.9 points per game, which was his highest since his inaugural season in LA. On top of that, Leonard was relatively healthy this season as well, playing in 65 regular-season games, including the Clippers' play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors.
However, one solid season might not be enough to convince Riley that Leonard is one superstar the Heat should target this summer; his comments indicate that. Unless Riley makes a surprising sharp turn on what he said Monday, Heat fans shouldn’t expect Leonard to be part of Miami's offseason plans.Â
Leonard in Miami is a nice idea, and if he were healthy, they'd be a significantly better team than they were this season. That said, a nice idea doesn't make it a good idea. The risk might be too great, and Riley is as stubborn as he is great. It's fair to say Riley indirectly eliminated Leonard from the Heat's offseason pursuit.
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