Pat Riley Reveals LeBron Leaving Heat Ruined His 10-Year Plan

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Pat Riley and the Miami Heat wanted to keep their young players and first-round pick.

NBA icon Pat Riley recently shared some of his plans for the Miami Heat’s “big three era” if LeBron James didn’t leave for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Los Angeles Lakers honoring Riley with a statue led to the iconic coach and front office mind sharing thoughts from previous chapters in the career. Riley claimed that he believed he’d have the trio of LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh for a longer tenure than four seasons.

The following quote showed how much Riley believed in the Heat’s chances of more success if they stuck together longer:

“I thought getting the Big Three — Dwyane, Chris Bosh and especially LeBron — that we had finally put together what I thought could be a dynasty. It was. I mean, four trips to the finals in a row, two world championships. It was an incredible run.

I saw something I thought could last 8-10 years. But I understood that the business of the NBA is the business of the NBA. Players have an opportunity to go somewhere else, and he went to Cleveland, and he won a title up there, so I wish him nothing but the best.”

Riley showed love to James for winning another title with the Cavaliers and didn’t hold any ill well. However, he felt the team could have challenged for more titles if he had the chance to extend the run.

Could Riley Have Won More Titles?

2014 is a long time away now, but some moments in NBA history stand the test of time. LeBron returning to Cleveland was an all-time significant NBA move to completely change the entire league’s dynamic again.

Miami made four consecutive NBA Finals, but they struggled immensely in 2014 against the San Antonio Spurs. Wade’s health started to suffer and showed him no longer as one of the best ten players in the league.

Bosh and a banged-up Wade did not appease James enough to stay. Miami fell from the clear title favorite every year to one of multiple contenders in the league. LeBron saw the writing on the wall to leave, but Riley believed he could have used the contending temptation to bring in better role players.

LeBron’s Career Benefited From Leaving Miami

Another interesting element of this story to get overlooked is LeBron becoming beloved again. Most NBA fans outside of Miami viewed James as the top villain in the league for creating the star-studded big three in league history.

No other squad had a “super team” this stacked until the 73-9 Golden State Warriors added Kevin Durant. LeBron heading back home to Cleveland to accomplish the goal that failed him during his first tenure there felt like a dream redemption story he couldn’t deny.

The Cavaliers drafting Kyrie Irving and trading for Kevin Love gave James a younger “big three” to dominate the East for another four years. Riley’s vision deserves respect since he’s an all-time great NBA executive, but it is hard to see the Heat being as good as the Cavaliers in that same time frame.

Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford