Miami Heat Exit Interviews Reveal Franchise Waiting on Pat Riley

The man most wanted to hear from during the Miami Heat exit interviews with the media won’t speak until he’s ready.

It remains to be seen if team president Pat Riley listens to the loudmouths paid to shout their opinions on TV and steps down. If he stays put in his role, what the Miami Heat will look like entering 2025-26 will be entirely his call.

Heat captain Bam Adebayo uttered the most interesting sound bite on Wednesday, offering no personal opinions on specifics he’d like to see change. Just wants to win. It’s not passing the buck if you’re not footing the bill.

“I can’t really go into the logistics of the tweaks. I feel like that’s more of a Pat Riley question, and I hope you can ask that question to him and he doesn’t blow you off and ignore you,” Adebayo said. “He knows my mentality. He knows I want to win.”

It’s unlikely Riley is going to divulge any plans outside of whether he’s hanging on to the gig he’s held for three decades, but the Heat’s brutal performance in their first-round exit against Cleveland should mean that everything is on the table.

Prying Giannis Antetokounmpo out of Milwaukee would be the dream scenario, but Miami would be joined by roughly one-third of the league in that pursuit if the “Greek Freak” requests a trade. A few of those teams would have better packages to offer.

Tyler Herro could get a three-year, $150 million contract extension as early as Oct. 1, so a decision on his long-term future is coming. Davion Mitchell will receive a qualifying offer to keep him on the roster and looks like the piece Miami received in the Jimmy Butler trade that it can be most sure it can rely on.

Andrew Wiggins, who joined Duncan Robinson and Terry Rozier in exercising their option to not talk to reporters for exit interviews, enters the offseason as a giant question mark.

After teasing the Heat by averaging 21.3 points in March, which included a 42-point outburst against Charlotte, Wiggins was inactive for much of April and looked like a shell of himself once he returned. In the playoffs, you can choose many adjectives to describe his play. Disinterested, lethargic and mediocre all fit. Given that he’s under contract for next season and can opt in for ‘26-’27 to earn over $30 million, getting him right has to be a priority.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra had arguably his roughest season. His 37-45 regular-season record matched his worst performance ever (‘14-’15), but the struggles went beyond wins and losses. Adebayo was propping up rookie Kel’el Ware when he said it, but conveying that players were begging Spoelstra to play the young 7-footer is an example of a season filled with questionable decisions from one of the NBA’s most respected tacticians.

Terry Rozier was in the rotation far too long. Alec Burks didn’t play enough. It took too long to make proper use of Kyle Anderson’s strengths. All are valid criticisms that take a backseat to the prevailing sentiment that the Heat’s offense looked broken far too often. The Cavs exposed this, winning four games by a combined total of 122 points because they suffocated Miami’s playmakers.

The Heat can’t match the assets teams like the Thunder, Jazz and Nets have at their disposal, but they’re not a barren wasteland. Miami isn’t working with many untradeable contracts. The team doesn’t have much in terms of draft capital, but can dangle a few talented young pieces that potential trade partners wouldn’t mind acquiring.

We’re into the offseason. The clock is ticking. That Riley domino must come first. If he’s staying, a crucial summer filled with a ton of work and franchise-altering decisions needs his attention. If he’s leaving, whoever takes over needs to hit the ground running.

Tony Mejia is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at tnyce1414@gmail.com