2014 was a crucial year in Miami Heat history. Coming off another loss in the NBA Finals, the franchise lost LeBron James as he took his talents back to Cleveland.
The Heat were left with few options, as they maxed out Chris Bosh, who was in danger of leaving to go to the Rockets. They made a different decision with franchise star Dwyane Wade, however, who signed a two-year deal worth just over $30 million.
Now, Wade is gone from Miami after multiple disputes over contract negotiations over the years. The ending in Miami did not happen in the most benevolent ways and it seems like there are already some regrets. In fact, Pat Riley admitted as much to TNT’s David Aldridge (as transcribed by Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk):
“Riley told me before the game that, if he had to do it over again, in the summer of 2014, after LeBron James left and went back to Cleveland, we should have given Wade a max deal as well as Chris Bosh, as the team did. ‘That was wrong. I should have, we should have given him that. That’s a big second-guess, but that’s on me.’”
Well, better late than never I guess. Dwyane Wade gave the Heat so much and he deserved more loyalty than he received. On the other hand, it’s a business and Pat Riley did what he thought was best for the franchise moving forward. It doesn’t seem like there are any hard feelings between Wade and the Heat, however.
