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The Miami Heat are among the frontrunners for LeBron James’ services this summer, and president of basketball operations Pat Riley discussed his relationship with the 41-year-old forward during a recent episode of The Dan Le Batard Show.
Riley said that while he was ‘hurt’ to see James leave the Heat in the 2014 offseason because he felt they had a great thing going, the 81-year-old NBA executive said that all is well and good now between him and the four-time league MVP and champion.
“I was very disappointed because I thought we were looking at a dynasty, something dynastic, and we now had a chance to add other players to it in ’14. And when he left, it was very, very disappointing. I don’t want to hang on to that,” Riley admitted.
“I’ve seen him around, run into him at All-Star Games. We had a great embrace when they honored me with a statue out there. LeBron and I, we haven’t talked much, but you let go of that stuff,” he added. “I want to see him somewhere on the golf course one day, even though I don’t play golf… or see him somewhere and not be able to go up to a guy that I developed a great relationship with.”
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LeBron James could fill the Miami Heat’s top need this summer
After landing Giannis Antetokounmpo in a trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley hinted that the team is far from done making moves this summer.
The 81-year-old said that while the team could use more shooters to improve their spacing around Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Riley’s main priority is to add a proven playmaker to create plays for his two frontcourt stars.
“Everybody talks about shooting,” Riley said. “That’s not the main priority right now. It’s another real playmaker.”
LeBron James certainly fits the mold perfectly, as his playmaking is the best part of his game. Last season, the King averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.2 steals on 51.5 percent shooting from the field across 60 regular-season games, despite being the Lakers’ third option behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
