Inside The Heat

Pat Riley Receives Wrath Of Miami Heat Fans After Kevin Durant Whiff

Shandel Richardson|
Jun 9, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley looks on during the second half in game four of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Jun 9, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat president Pat Riley looks on during the second half in game four of the 2023 NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

In this story:

Miami Heat

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley has been under fire by fan base for the past few years because the inability to land top free agents in the offseason. The Heat haven't signed anyone who has provided productivity since Jimmy Butler in 2019. They added guard Terry Rozier two seasons ago at the trade deadline but he was considered a disappointment.

Things reached a boil Sunday when the Heat failed to acquire Kevin Durant this offseason. Durant was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets.

Fans immediately shifted the blame to Riley despite him building the organization into a perennial winner in the past 20 years. The dagger for Heat fans was a report stating Riley refused to offer young players like Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez and Nikola Jovic for Durant.

Without Durant, it means the Heat have to scramble the rest of the summer to provide an upgrade to the roster. After another Play-In Tournament season, they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Heat could be headed for another year of mediocrity if they are unable to find a high-profile free agent this summer. They have a strong core with Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo but need another star to compete as contenders.

MORE MIAMI HEAT NEWS

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade Reveals Crucial Factor In Delivering Historic Finals MVP

NBA Executive Makes Abrupt Notion Regarding Kevin Durant’s Current Value

Superstar Or Not, Udonis Haslem Warns Incoming Players About Heat Culture

Published
Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here