Pat Riley has been accused of not wanting Dwyane Wade to return to the Heat this summer — thus you have his merit for the initial $10 million offer.
Riley held a press conference in Miami today — to address the animosity built up by Wade’s departure — putting his spin on the contentious negotiations that led to the shooting guard signing with the Chicago Bulls.
“What happened with Dwyane floored me, and I’m gonna miss the fact of what I might’ve had planned for him and his future and how I saw the end of his time here,” Miami Heat president Pat Riley said at a press conference Saturday.
“The buck really stops here. I’m not trying to fall on my sword for anybody. I have great regret I didn’t put myself in the middle of it. Get in a canoe and paddle to the Mediterranean if I had to. Be in New York to greet him at the airport. I didn’t do that,” Riley said.
“We all speak with one voice. We as an organization didn’t do enough for Dwyane,” Riley said.
Obviously the Heat’s No. 1 priority this summer was signing Hassan Whiteside to a max deal — while pursuing Kevin Durant.
Riley admitted that more should have been done to keep Wade in Miami — but there’s deception in the premise that the organization just dropped the ball or took Wade for granted.
Riley should admit that the Heat are in transition, and paying Wade what he thought he was worth, was counterproductive to a youth movement.
