Pat Riley Says Heat Will Not Run It Back After Failed Season

After an embarrassing showing in the 2025 playoffs, the Miami Heat are due for some major changes this summer. In his annual press conference to end the season, team President Pat Riley confirmed that the strategy will not be to "run it back" after several years of limited roster moves.

"RIB. Run it back. We're probably not going to do that," said Riley. "Players aren't just going to show up. You have to make deals. You have to look at the board. You've got to try to do something that will benefit your team and your two key guys. I think we're in as good of a situation as we could have ever been from a draft pick, young player, a favorable contract situation in a long time. Especially at a time in the market when it's hard to plan."

The Miami Heat had title ambitions to start the season, back when they still had Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro leading the way. Even at this stage, the Heat were struggling to keep up with the NBA elites, and they were underdogs to finish in the top six in the West.

Compared to teams like the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Knicks, Miami didn't have enough depth or firepower to compete, and the best they could do was hover around play-in territory in the East. After years of inactivity in the offseason, the Heat typically prefer to play the long and methodical approach to team building, but now Pat Riley is ready to shake things up.

For the sake of pursuing a championship, Riley plans to rebuild the Miami Heat, and that means parting ways with several core players. Depending on who they target this offseason, we could even see the Heat move on from guys like Tyler Herro or Bam Adebayo, but only if it gives them a path to improvement in the future.

Pat Riley Makes Peace With The Jimmy Butler Fiasco

What ruined this season for the Heat was not just a lack of depth, but rather the breakdown of trust between Jimmy Butler and Pat Riley. After the two had a falling out behind the scenes, Butler forced his way out and left the Heat without a viable star to replace him.

While Riley is partly to blame for Butler's departure, he doesn't have any negative feelings toward the NBA veteran. Despite the chaos he caused on his way out, Riley doesn't have any regrets about his decision not to extend Butler's contract. 

“No, I'm to going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension, and I don't think I should. All the teams that I did lose, you take the loss and then go home, and then be quiet. But there wasn't trolling back in that day. There's no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team... I will always say that to the players, if I was coaching, ‘Keep your mouth shut,’ I’ll see you next training camp when you get back on the court," said Riley. "But it’s different today with players. It's over, he's done, I wish him well, good luck to him. I hope, deep down in his heart somewhere, that he wishes us well, too."

The Heat didn't get far without Butler. After winning the play-in tournament to earn a spot as the 10 seed, they were eliminated in four games by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now, without a leading star, the Heat must create a different identity and find a player who can lead the way both on and off the court.

This summer, the Heat will have plenty of options, including a potential deal for Kevin Durant. Even if they can't find a star, however, Riley is determined to mix things up and try something new that will give the Heat a fighting chance in the East.