The Miami Heat have an excellent case to sign LeBron James in free agency, but one longtime NBA insider says it won’t happen for one reason: team president Pat Riley.
Once upon a time back in 2010, Riley and his so-called rings on the table pitch was among the factors that drew James to South Beach — along with the locale/weather, Miami’s market significance in American sports and the Dwayne Wade–Chris Bosh combination that made four straight trips to the NBA Finals and two titles over James’ four seasons with the team possible.
That said, the breakup between James and the Heat didn’t sit well with Riley. And on Monday, July 20, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith contended that the four-time MVP ultimately will choose to play elsewhere during his 24th professional campaign — namely with either the Cleveland Cavaliers or Golden State Warriors — due to his fractured relationship with Riley.
“I’ve gone back and forth between Cleveland and Golden State for this reason: I think if you go to Miami, that’s about Pat Riley more so than about [James],” Smith said on “First Take” during a back and forth with Brian Windhorst. “Even though fences have probably been mended to some degree, the bottom line is LeBron is trying to help himself, not Pat Riley.”
Heat Might Offer LeBron James Best Chance to Win, Best Basketball Fit
GettyGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat.
If Smith is correct, perhaps the best question to ask is if James helping Riley is also the best way to help himself? The answer could absolutely be that it is.
The Heat just traded for two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has dealt with health issues in recent seasons but remains just 31 years old until December.
Antetokounmpo should still have at least two or three seasons remaining as a truly dominant force, and with good injury luck perhaps longer. He was the best player on a championship team in 2021, a rare feat/honor James has accomplished four times.
Putting those two players together alongside Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins creates a group of four within a starting five that is long, athletic, rangy and should be very good on defense behind and around James.
Furthermore, Miami desperately needs an on-ball creator. James remains an All-Star level playmaker who could be the primary on offense for the Heat in an Eastern Conference that is clearly more winnable than the West.
Pat Riley Interested in Bringing LeBron James Back to Heat
GettyMiami Heat president Pat Riley.
Riley spoke with “The Dan Le Batard Show” Monday and discussed James extensively.
The Heat president acknowledged his disappointment when James left the organization in 2014 to return to Cleveland. However, Riley also indicated that his relationship with James is in a reasonable place now, a dozen years after the fact.
“We had a great embrace when [the Lakers] honored me with a statue out there [in Los Angeles],” Riley said. “LeBron and I, we haven’t talked much, but you let go of that stuff. I was very disappointed because I thought we were looking at a dynasty. When he left it was very disappointing.”
Riley also indirectly indicated a strong interest in James when he said his first priority is not to add more perimeter shooting, but rather finding “another playmaker.” Riley then spoke directly to the Heat’s pursuit of James for a second stint in South Beach.
“Just sorta waiting,” Riley said. “This is a man’s decision. You let him make that decision. He has the right to do that. I’m not calling [James’ agent] Rich [Paul] every day and bugging him.”
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