For decades, at the helm of leadership for the Miami Heat has been the legendary Pat Riley.
After his departure from coaching the New York Knicks, Riley came to South Florida in 1995, and has remained an active voice for the team ever since. He was originally the Heat's head coach for years, but eventually became a permanent staple in the franchise’s front office as team president.
Riley still had executive powers even prior to Spoelstra’s rise, and he preferred it that way until wanting to take over coaching duties briefly in 2006. That switch from Riley proved to be the correct one at the time, as his coaching helped lead the Heat to their first-ever championship.
He is a nine-time NBA champion as a player, assistant coach, head coach and executive. From the start of his NBA career through 2023, Riley appeared in 25% of all NBA Finals in history as a player, coach or executive. His greatness is documented by a Hall of Fame career as one of the most brilliant basketball minds of all time.
He also has a track record for making aggressive trades, most of which turned out great for the Heat. These are the times he fleeced an opposing front office the most.
4. Goran Dragic trade (2015)
By the 2014-15 NBA trade deadline, the Heat were desperate for a true point guard to help run the offense. Following LeBron James's free agent departure that previous summer, it was clear that they were missing his playmaking. Point guard duties were split between Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, which looked a lot worse without James there to carry a lot of ball-handling responsibility.
At the time, the Heat were desperate to strengthen that position. Then Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic was desperate to leave. Riley is always looking at trades that involve bringing in a disgruntled star, and Dragic certainly was at the time. Riley maneuvered a three-team trade that was obviously in Miami's favor by bringing in the former Most Improved Player of the Year award winner in Dragic.
All Riley had to unload in this deal was Norris Cole, Danny Granger, Justin Hamilton and Shawne Williams, along with a pair of future first-round picks. Although Cole was a rotation piece that contributed to the Heat’s back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013, he couldn’t take on an increased role years after. Ultimately, all four of Cole, Granger, Hamilton and Williams didn't last much longer in the NBA following this trade.
In return, the Heat got seven years of All-Star caliber production out of Dragic.