The Miami Heat have a lot of questions to address coming into this offseason, but team president Pat Riley notes he won't tear up the team he built from the ground up.
Having granted three four-year deals over last summer, the Heat's architect is aware of the team's struggles and areas of needs, but he won't dismantle what he has created over the past two seasons to overcome the clear obstacles.
“I'm not going to break this team up,” said Riley in the Heat's exit interviews, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “We're going to make this team better.”
Among the pressing matters is the fit of center Hassan Whiteside, who had a rollercoaster season, playing limited minutes in the postseason due to what Riley said was his fitness level, and a see-saw share of fluctuating minutes during stretches of the regular season.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra has found comfort in a Kelly Olynyk tandem at center with rookie Bam Adebayo, but it hasn't been one that has looked well in the eyes of Whiteside, who signed a four-year, $96 million deal with the team in 2016.
Riley noted the upcoming offseason would be about adding, not subtracting players, in search of a “transformative” player that could help this roster.
The Heat will not have a first-round pick this year, which bodes well for Riley, who admitted to not be suited for that process.
“All we need is another No. 16 pick this year… I'm not a draft-pick guy,” said Riley.
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