NBA

Pat Riley Attempts To Put An End To Panicky Miami Heat Trade Speculation

Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh barely had time to get off the court following Game 6 of the NBA Finals before ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy suggested that the Miami Heat should consider breaking up its Big Three, in favor of attempting to acquire Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard.

The comment by Van Gundy fueled a week’s worth of internet speculation (because let’s be honest, that’s what we do best), but now Heat honcho Pat Riley is doing his best to bring it to an end. According to the New York Daily News, Riley has notified teams to not even both asking him about Wade, James, and even Bosh.

Not long after LeBron James’ Finals flameout, Miami president Pat Riley has sent word to other league execs: He’s not breaking up his Big Three

And while the idea of pairing Wade or James with the best center in the league is certainly intriguing- and may even make more sense than the pairing of Wade and James- Riley is in the right here; why break up the core of a team that was just two games away from winning the NBA championship?

And as for Bosh, even the most delusional Heat supporter would agree that it’d be tough to find a trade partner who would take on the $95.5 million remaining on his contract.

Rather than telling teams not to ask about the Big Three’s availability, Riley’s memo was more likely meant to send a message to the media to stop the speculation. Whether that message is received remains to be seen.