The Miami Heat are one season removed from a stellar playoff run. Jimmy Butler and the Heat advanced to the 2023 NBA Finals but fell short of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. At one point, Miami was led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. In 2024, Pat Riley reflects on the 2004 move to land Shaq.
Pat Riley had to make deep sacrifices to get Shaq on the Heat in 2004
Riley joined Dwyane Wade on a podcast to detail the challenge of trading for Shaquille O'Neal many years ago. The longtime Heat executive did not want to let go of key players on his roster. Yet, he saw the trade as a necessary sacrifice.
“When Shaq came on the market, I said, ‘He's got at least three more years.' And I also said, ‘Dwyane deserves it.' I hated to give up Caron [Butler] and [Lamar] Odom and Brian Grant [but they] had to go because of the money,” Riley said via “The Why with Dwayne Wade”, a co-production of iHeartPodcasts and Wade's 59th & Prairie Entertainment.
Furthermore, Riley detailed his lamenting thoughts on the trade when Wade asked him if executives get put a these types of situations often.
“Yes, I hated that trade. But also, was it my desperation that I needed a title after all these years and Winston's 88? And I said, ‘you know what what? I got about another year left me. I'm going to go for it,” Riley explained.
All in all, the Heat president's gamble paid off, as Miami won the 2006 NBA Finals. Riley's dialogue serves as a reminder that sacrifice is necessary to achieve greater success.
“That was it…we ended up getting the result, and that's what my job was at the time.”
Now in 2024, the Heat look to build upon their past success, led by Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and a plethora of impact players.
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