The Miami Heat desperately needs a star player, and that's on team president Pat Riley to find a way to make it happen. If he doesn't, it won't be a good situation at all for the franchise.
Most Heat fans understand just how important Riley is to the history of the franchise. In fact, I can't confidently say that the Heat wouldn't be the Heat without Riley's influence and contributions to the organization. From the front office to coaching, Riley's fingerprints have been all over the Heat's success over the past three decades.
But that doesn't mean he's above criticism. You can appreciate Riley's career and influence on the Heat while also questioning if he's the best man for the job right now. While he has a proven track record, the way star acquisitions work in the NBA has certainly changed since the last time the Heat hit big in free agency or via trade.
Just a couple of years ago, we saw how things were different. Even when Damian Lillard wanted a trade to the Heat, that didn't happen. And you have to blame Riley at least slightly for that entire fiasco. Nevertheless, as Miami heads into another offseason in search of a star player, the pressure is on this front office to deliver. As the center man of the front office, that falls on Riley.
And if he fails to acquire a star player, one the Heat desperately needs, it may be time for the team and Riley to part ways. If Riley is no longer the attracting stars, one of his most valuable assets to the Heat, there's little reason to keep him in the picture (aside from stability). At the same time, the franchise's stability could be questioned at the moment as well.
Pat Riley's value to the Heat was stability and star power
If Riley isn't offering stability or star power to the franchise anymore, that could mean we've reached the point where something has to give. I understand Riley probably has a job with the Heat for as long as he wants. In fact, especially considering all he's done for this franchise, he probably deserves to walk away on his own time.
However, if the Heat can't attract stars, that means they must figure out how to build a championship roster in other ways. Considering Riley has been loudly vocal against rebuilding the conventional way (through tanking, draft, and development), maybe he isn't the right leader for the front office anymore.
No franchise bats 100 when it comes to acquiring star players. However, the Heat has had very little luck in doing so since LeBron James left in 2014. If it wasn't for Jimmy hitting free agency and demanding a sign-and-trade to the Heat, this franchise would find itself in a very bad spot. Mind you, that was six years ago now.
Even with Jimmy, Riley and the Heat had difficulty in landing another supporting star to push this team over the championship hump. If Riley can't cash in this summer, you can't help but wonder if he'll ever be able to do so again. If he misses out this offseason after preaching big changes, that's not good for the direction of this franchise.
There was a time when Riley dropped his championship rings on the table, it moved hearts and had a great influence. I'm not sure that is the case anymore. Times have changed, this generation of star players has evolved, and the current NBA (team building) climate is completely different than what made the Heat and Riley so successful in the past.
If Riley is unable to land a star player this offseason with the hope of pushing the Heat out of NBA purgatory, it may be time for both sides to move on.
