The theme of Miami Heat president Pat Riley’s end of season presser confirmed what was expected— changes are coming. “We probably won’t run it back.” (Photo via NBA.com)
The Miami Heat’s 2024-25 campaign progressed as another lost season. Jimmy Butler’s eventual messy trade demands led to an inevitable divorce between the franchise and a superstar that led the organization to a pair of NBA Finals and an Eastern Conference finals in a five-year span.
After that midseason deal went down, the Heat were put in a position to pick up the pieces on the fly. And that quick turn around included an up and down end of season. That final stretch featured a 10-game losing streak, to resiliently bouncing back and winning out of the NBA play-in tournament as a 10th seed.
But the sudden success was short lived. As the Heat’s season ended on a first round sweep sour note, crucial questions need to get answered.
The Heat players exit interview’s took place a few days after the season ended. And on Friday afternoon, the legendary Pat Riley had his as well.
In refreshing news to all of Heat Nation, Riley made it abundantly clear that changes are coming— and that he and the front office “probably won’t run it back.”
Additionally, Riley spoke on the Butler departure, Tyler Herro’s contract situation, Bam Adebayo’s leadership and the possibility of bringing in another aging star. Check out the most notable quotes from the presser below!
“There’s no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our season. There’s no doubt about it. So the buck stops with me. I’ll take that hit if you want.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
“I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension. And I don’t think I should.
“I wish [Jimmy Butler] well. Good luck to him. And I hope deep down in his heart, he wishes us well too.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
“We took the deal that we felt was best for us now and also in the future. We have a lot of young players. We have some medium aged players in their prime. Our draft picks are in better order than what they were, and so we have a lot of flexibility.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
“Now, because of these different CBA machinations — you know, that have to do with repeater tax, the first apron, the second apron and the penalties that come with it — there’s a different thought process.
“It’s a little bit different about how you plan now. It could come…
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
“It’s a process, but I’m not gonna deal with a long process and nor is ownership.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
“[Tyler Herro] is one of the most ignitable offensive players in the league … He’s pivotal to us as an offensive player. We just need more around him that can do a little bit of what he does, because now he’s getting beat up. He’s getting overly schemed (against).
“It’s a whole…
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
Pat Riley says they’ve talked to Tyler Herro about his future and possible contract extension. He says it’s really “it’s pay me now or pay me later.”
Says Tyler deserves discussion but they haven’t committed to it yet. It sounds like Herro is clearly long term piece for Heat.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) May 9, 2025
“I’m an alpha. [Jimmy Butler]’s an alpha … When you get two alphas in the same room, sometimes it doesn’t work.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
Pat Riley says Bam Adebayo is an alpha-guy and that Tyler Herro has alpha-level confidence.
“I think of an alpha as your best player, your best player, your leader, the one that’s going to hold everybody accountable and all of those things above just being a great player. That…
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
In another huge bit of confirmation that Heat fans probably wondered going into Riley’s presser, he slammed the door on any potential retirement announcement.
“The new 80 is the new 60. That’s how I look at it,” Riley said. “I feel great. I am competitive as hell.”
The conference as a whole felt like he was tremendously locked in. He provided clarity, didn’t shy away from any difficult questions, and was totally professional as usual.
“We have to make some changes philosophically and personnel wise.”
— Pat Riley
— Hot Hot Hoops (@hothothoops) May 9, 2025
As mentioned above, Riley was also asked about the possibility of managing another aging star in the very near future. Despite Butler’s availability issues throughout his tenure, the Heat have found success in managing these types of players in the past. And Miami’s president hinted towards bringing in another player that fits that description.
“For us, if that player is the right name and the right contract length, yeah, I still think that an aging player can play (with us).”
“It’s incredible that you know players like [LeBron James] and others that have played into their mid to late 30s, and produced at a high level and helped teams win championships. And you have to pick out the right one. But I’m not against that.”
— Pat Riley on managing an aging star
This is all seems to perfectly align and sound a lot like Kevin Durant.
Ironically, NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Heat’s significant interest in acquiring Durant shortly after Riley’s presser ended. It has been no secret that there’s been clear mutual interest between both parties for years— dating all the way back to 2016.
Before ultimately being traded to the Phoenix Suns, Durant had narrowed his preferred destinations down to Miami and Phoenix. Additionally, top insider Shams Charania iterated that the Heat would have been one of the only teams the 15-time All-Star that he was OK with being traded to at this year’s deadline.
The way Riley’s conference finished, the goals for roster change seemingly appears to feature either a Durant acquisition or other tweaks for a new crop of quality rotation players— if the KD move doesn’t pan out.
You can check out Riley’s full end of season press conference below!
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This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
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