Heat president Pat Riley is generally happy with the current roster but is open to acquiring another impact player if the right trade comes along, Nick Friedell of ESPN relays.
“I like the team that we have,” Riley said. “I like the core, so let’s see where we can go internally and let’s see where we can go if something presents itself. If that’s a viable option.”
As for acquiring another star, Riley wants to make sure that player will fit into the team’s culture, not to mention future payroll, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.
“If there’s something from outside that unveils itself that doesn’t cost us an arm and a leg, I would always be interested in looking at that,” he said. “But I think we have what we need internally.”
Riley held his annual postseason press conference on Monday. Friedell and Chiang have the details on numerous topics that Riley addressed:
- Responding to Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro expressing his desire to become a starter, Riley said he’s got to earn it by improving defensively. “He’s 22, he’s 21, 22 years old so the next step for him, and I think we’re seeing this in the league, if you want to win a championship, and you want to be a starter, you really have to become a two-way player today,” Riley said. “And you have to improve in certain areas of your game.”
- Kyle Lowry needs to improve his conditioning, in Riley’s assessment. “The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping that you can get the most out of a player — is that you got to be in world-class shape. You just have to be,” he said.
- P.J. Tucker has a $7.35MM player option for 2022/23 and if he turns it down, Riley will try to re-sign the veteran forward. “P.J. is a cornerstone,” Riley said. “I would love to have Tuck back next year. He’s part of our core. He’s special.”
- The sting of losing Game 7 to Boston in the Eastern Conference Finals hasn’t dissipated. “We have a lot of real experienced veterans and so we put together a team that got to the Eastern Conference finals and it was bitter, it was a bitter loss,” he said. “The dragon hasn’t actually left my body yet from that loss.”
- Retirement is not on Riley’s agenda. “I’m 77 years old and right now I can do more pushups than you can do right now,” he said.
Riley “Well everything is cool except Tyler doesn’t play D and Kyle hits too many cheeseburgers”
I always love listening to Riley. I feel like he reaffirms my beliefs, but mostly, he gives me a calming thought process on where their sentiments are, and I almost never disagree, if ever, and he will usually say at least 1 or 2 things that educate the people he is speaking to, and myself as well
The Heat need someone with size at the 4 that can defend and shoot, like Paul Millsap, not Markieff Morris, or someone that can do those things, but also play small ball 5. They also need to replace Caleb Martin, who they will unfortunately be losing. Trading Duncan Robinson makes no sense unless the roster is drastically different
I could see Oladipo getting something in the $7 million range for 1 more year, before going for something longer. That being said, it depends what happens with the Lowry/the rest of the roster. Unless there are drastic changes, most of this team should be back, with little tweaks; what can they do to replace Caleb Martin, who as I said, they’re going to lose, getting rid of Markieff Morris, seeing what happens with Highsmith, the draft pick, etc
Herro isnt a starter on this roster, without changes. Lineups with him Lowry, Jimmy, and Bam didnt play well together this year, although I do suspect that might have been different depending on who the 5th guy would be there, or if Lowry shoots the ball the way he is capable of…I dont see why Herro cares about that though. He said it a few weeks ago; he gets the most shots on the team. He plays the same starters minutes, and finishes games. It shouldnt matter. Whatever helps the team win matters. Right now, I dont think he makes more than Duncan Robinson on an extension, but we’ll see. I think he is worth slightly not as much as that, but we’ll see what Jordan Poole gets b/c they’re similar players. Maybe something in the $80 million range, although Booker got way more than he should have too, and that’s his comparison, so maybe that’s wishful thinking
Herro talked about continuing to get stronger, but sustaining it through the season, as you could see his body change back to what it was the last couple of years as the year winded down. Also curious to see how he continues to grow as a playmaker, would like to see him learn how to play in the half court a little more, get to the free throw line, and continue to improve on defense…
Herro and Strus wouldnt be who they were for the Heat this year without Kyle Lowry, so I wonder if that also effects how they view Herro. Lowry and Vincent will be training in the offseason together, and Lowry will likely be back in the best shape of his life, which should hopefully help him, although he was in better shape this year, and he hurt his hamstring at an unfortunate time, so it’s hard to say that was neccesarily an issue this year.
If Caleb Martin says he wants to be here, that’s awesome, but I fail to see how they’ll be able to keep him, and that is a big loss
It’s not time yet for UD. He played more this year, and would have played a lot more if he didnt get covid at the worst possible time
PJ Tucker is an obvious priority, but as I said in the beginning, they need someone with him. I’m not sure they can really make him a bigger offer though, even though he probably normally could get almost double what he is potentially due, in unrestricted free agency
@formerly
As to why Herro wants to be a starter. Starters get paid more and being a 6th man stymies his financial growth and how he’s perceived. You said Herro didn’t deserve more than Duncan despite being a better overall shooter, scorer, passes and rebounds better than him too. I mean Duncan started most of the regular season games but only participated in 13 playoff games, none as a starter and he was healthy. Herro absolutely would’ve started every game had he been healthy. If you’re going to hold him to a 6th man position because you think it’s best for the team but he’s putting up points and assists/ rebounds similar to Butler then I think he needs to be paid as a starter and certainly more than Duncan Robinson.
Ya I couldn’t possibly disagree more, but that’s fine, if that’s your opinion. I envision Herro probably getting a deal he isnt worth, but in terms of actual value, he is slightly underneath what Duncan Robinson gives them, assuming he can keep improving. I would still pay him “like a starter,” obviously, but not some exorbitant amount. Probably something in the $72-$78 million range, which might be a slight overpay already, but that’s what you need to do to keep guys, as they also gave Duncan $2-4 million extra ($80 million). Also, comparing Herro to Butler is laughable.
I also dont understand why you would think he would have started in the playoffs. He was healthy for thr majority of it, until Game 3 of the ECF, but regardless, he shouldnt have even played in that matchup, even if he was healthy
Also, Riley literally echoed my sentiments on Herro, as to his usage, so I dont see any reason to change my opinion. If the roster is different, he can be a starter. Didnt say he cant be. I personally dont care about who starts. On this current roster, he isnt a starter b/c it doesnt fit
@formerly did I read correctly that you think herro is underneath Robinson? The 6th man of the year is under a player who fell out of the rotation entirely?
@formerly
Both Duncan and Herro have defensive issues. Duncan’s are so severe that he had 2 DNPs in the ECF series, didn’t start ANY games and played less than 5 minutes in a couple of games they won and only saw 20 minutes + in their blow out losses.
I misspoke when I said Herro would start. I meant hew would’ve played more significant minutes (25+) in the games he didn’t play in had he been healthy.
Duncan is a great 3 point shooter but he shot less than 40% FG overall. That’s pathetic for a guy getting $20 mil per scoring under 12 ppg. Not sure why you think he’s better than Herro.
Duncan’s issues defensively are getting called for terrible fouls. He has improved in every area. If you discount the first 12-23 games of the season, and maybe the last couple of games, his numbers are where they have always been, if not slightly better (about 13ish ppg on 44-46% FG%, 40-42% from 3), plus the improvements in every other area. Also, even if he isnt making shots, he provides significantly important spacing on the floor for the rest of the team, with 2-3 guys chasing him off screens at almost all times. He doesnt need the ball in his hands, and is therefore a stronger fit in the lineup next to guys like Lowry, Butler, and Bam, who have it in their hands a lot. But everyone acting like he didnt knock down shots this year literally dodnt pay attention. He was still top 5 in pull up 3s as well.
Ya, he didnt play, and they lost for it. He should have played. That was one of my biggest complaints the entire time, and is a significant reason they couldn’t make shots, and it was also clear that when he was on the floor, they got way better opportunities, even though they were still struggling to make shots.
Herro shouldnt have played in the matchup, healthy or not, and we’re seeing that with the way Jordan Poole looks against the Celtics.
Also, he isnt making $20 million per…he has a 5 year/$80 million deal, which is only a couple of million higher than I suggested Herro is worth, even though Herro will likely get overpaid…last thing on Duncan Robinson; you dont see GS sitting Klay Thompson, who hasnt been that good his last 3.5 healthy seasons on either side of the ball (this year being by far his best in that time), when he goes 5/17 in several playoff games, nor should they.
Again, Herro does play an important role on this team off the bench, as a scorer around their defenders/primary ball handler in the 2nd unit, who can playmake, and generally shoot it. He was helped by Lowry helping to hide his deficiencies, as well as the other defenders, which allowed them to use multiple guys at once, like Herro and Strus, or Herro and Robinson, or Strus and Robinson to help space the floor…if Herro can do the things I outlined moving forward, and also learn to move better without the ball (learn to play more in the half court, get to the free throw line, improve defensively) he can be a starter, and he would be worth the larger money, but there is a reason Gabe Vincent made more sense than him against the Celtics; 1 of those things is not needing the ball in his hands, and being a stronger defender at both guard spots
I do not look at the game in a vaccum. I’ve said this countless times over years
They need to somehow turn turn Duncan Robinson into Bobby Portis.
They could use a floor spacing big like him, but if Yurtseven can knock down shots the way he seemed capable of in summer league/the preseason, or if Dedmon continues to shoot the way he did (assuming he is back), or if Bam becomes more willing to shoot more jumpshots, its not as necessary, especially if they can add another piece at the 4, like I mentioned, that can shoot it themselves
Agreed with earlier comment. Ignore first 12 to 23 games. One-eighth to one-quarter of the season is irrelevant. It is a marathon after all.
And also during that stretch, he played way better in every other area, which admittedly came down a bit the rest of the season as his shooting came back around, although that could also be attributed to other guys missing games around him for various reasons
Also, I really wish Pat Riley would get back on commentary for some games nationally. The game really could use him in that capacity as well. He still understands the current game better than anyone, and we dont have those broadcasters that educate people the way guys like Dr Jack Ramsay used to and Hubie Brown does, for hopefully as long as possible
Hubie Brown can barely follow the action, or else prioritizes some philosophy or instruction that I do not need, not being a player. He belongs on a practice court.
Meanwhile, Brown overlooks pertinent details of what is being attempted, in his haste to coach everyone.
He just has a different idea of what his job is than what I would prefer. He doesn’t offer much new.
Not the worst tho.
That’s what I’m talking about though. Teaching the game instead of saying completely false information, like Mark Jackson, and over sensationalizing everything
It’s time to cash in and trade Herro for a better two way SG… Hoping we can find a way to land Mitchell from Utah.
Why do you think the Heat needs to give up assets for him though? I dont see it. There are players I would trade him for, but it would need to be more impactful than that, especially considering who they would have send out with him to match salaries
@stretch
Defense matters and I know Pat Riley builds those types of teams but this is very much an offense first league and one of your needs is a top go to scorer. Someone more prolific and versatile than Butler. Who’s out there that is available and how much more than Herro do you attach? And is the difference between Herro and that new player enough to justify the trade in terms of the law of diminishing return?
I think the better point made here is that Donovan Mitchell has little to no trade value.
I sneakily think Pat will shop Lowry behind the scenes and try to keep it hush in case nothing manifests
Pains me to say, one of my favorite players ever but where his salary/yrs line up against the icy cold available Pg’s this offseason I think there’s a deal out there Riley happily accepts if he hunts for it
Have zero clue what’s going on w Duncan but I assume he’s being shopped as well
I think Pat will be busier this offseason than he thought he was going to be a year ago. Always have faith in him and there’s enough cornerstones left that they can change on the fly and not skip a beat. An active trade market/slow free agency should play into their hands a little as well. He’s rolling up his sleeves as we speak
I could see potentially seeing what might be doable for Lowry, just b/c Oladipo gives you a lot of what you would be losing with him, but the roster would have to be a lot different
Lowry is fat and old with an awful contract. Bad combo.
Still one of the best 2 way guards in the NBA
Good for the heat bc no team is gonna trade the heat anything good off that pretense that might not be the case anymore at age 37 ! Heat won’t be able to trade him for anything
Well, it’s a good thing he gives them something they havent had at guard in a long time, which was an issue for them for a long time. 1 thing he doesnt have anymore is he used to get calls, but since he put on a Heat jersey, he cant buy a call to save his life, but luckily they dont need that from him. They just need him to defend the way he does, playmake the way he does, and knock down shots, which he admittedly fell off slightly with this year, but isn’t as important with certain other guys on the team…and even though he missed time, he still ranked very highly in the categories that matter, and right around the same range as certain others I’m sure you probably consider to be better
Didn’t you just say yesterday that Oladipo and Lowry are essentially interchangeable? But now Lowry gives them something they haven’t had in years (I assume you mean since the Mario Chalmers days)? And yeah, I’ve noticed that the refs swallow their whistles when they see those vile HEAT jerseys in the arena. Officials much prefer dinosaur mascots to a general feeling like HEAT. Or maybe, just maybe, Lowry’s whiny little man act has grown thin and the officials don’t react the way they used to. Who’s to say?
I wouldnt say interchangeable, but having 1 or the other helps with potentially replacing 1 of them for different things. The Heat also just got Oladipo back, so it’s fair to say they havent had guard defense like Lowry in years. Obviously, Oladipo would fit that same description, but he wasnt healthy for almost the entirety of the season. They also are different players offensively, so ya it helps b/c they give them similar things, but I wouldn’t say they’re interchangeable. Lowry is more reliable as a playmaker and shooter, can play off the ball, and his basketball IQ is extremely high. Oladipo is more of a slasher that can playmake, although his handle is rusty right now
Riley’s last statement doesn’t prove he’s young, just immature.
If MIA is going to upgrade the current group, Herro would likely need to be involved. Herro and their 2023 1st (2025/26 go to OKC) are their only real trade assets.