Heat’s Pat Riley still believes; Giannis pursuit remains in play

The Heat finished 10th in the Eastern Conference and were bounced quickly from the play-in tournament. But Pat Riley still isn’t convinced Miami is all that far away.

Speaking at his end-of-season press conference, Riley suggested the Heat may have been closer to contention than their record indicated.

“I think we were competitive as hell,” Riley said. “Yes, do I think we might have got up there? The only two teams that I would consider that I would be uncomfortable playing against would be OKC and San Antonio. And they’re out there. But if I can get into the Finals, just like we did in ’23, then I would be happy.”

As Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel noted, Riley’s comments may not look quite as bold after the way the Eastern Conference playoffs unfolded.

The Knicks rolled to the Finals, but several contenders fell short of expectations, leaving plenty of teams wondering what might have been.

Giannis remains dream scenario

Meanwhile, Miami continues to be mentioned as a possible destination if Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo ever becomes available.

According to Winderman, constructing a trade won’t be easy.

Tyler Herro is the Heat’s most logical salary-matching piece, while Bam Adebayo is widely viewed as untouchable. Miami does have several intriguing young players and future assets, however, giving the franchise ammunition if a blockbuster opportunity presents itself.

Winderman also weighed the possibility of the Heat pivoting to Grizzlies star Ja Morant if Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee.

That idea appears less appealing.

In fact, Winderman suggested Miami shouldn’t include draft compensation in a potential Morant pursuit and would likely need a complicated multi-team structure involving Herro to make the finances work.

So, yes, Antetokounmpo remains the prize.

Whether the Heat can put together a package strong enough to land him is another question entirely.