In typical Pat Riley fashion, the Miami Heat president made a big trade during the season when he didn't have to. The Hall of Famer acquired former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies, giving Miami yet another elite wing defender and versatile offensive playmaker.
Riley also acquired Jae Crowder in the same deal, so the Heat now have Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Iguodala and Crowder as its top defenders. Not bad.
Because he's Pat Riley, though, the Heat are not done in terms of constructing a championship roster. Miami had a stellar record of 41-24 before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19. That was good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
However, there is one trade that Riley can pull off this summer which would make the Heat front-runners to win the championship.
Riley had been enamored with Butler for years and he was going to do whatever it took to get the All-Star small forward to Miami last offseason.
Now, Riley has to have that same mentality with Washington Wizards superstar shooting guard Bradley Beal.
Beal has been linked to the Heat for the past few seasons because everyone inside league circles knows Riley wants to acquire the All-Star guard and form a new Big 3 in Miami.
From 2010 to 2014, the Heat had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh running the show. Now, Riley wants to build a new Big 3 featuring Butler, Beal and Adebayo. They could even be called the “Killer B's,” just like the Houston Astros were called back in the day with Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and whatever B-named sidekicks were alongside them.
Beal signed a two-year extension with the Wizards before the 2019-20 season started. He is guaranteed $130 million over four seasons. Beal's new deal also contains a player option for the 2022-2023 season.
Riley needs to call the Wizards this summer and say something along the lines of, “Everyone on our roster is available for Bradley Beal except Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.”
The Heat will probably have to part ways with fan-favorite Tyler Herro to acquire a star such as Beal, who averaged 30.5 points per game this season for the Wizards. As long as Butler and Adebayo are still in South Beach, the Wizards can have anyone they want for Beal.