The Miami Heat’s front office is highly established, led by team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra.
Aside from the city itself, their front office is one of the biggest lures for star talent. Trade rumors arose when Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma recently showered Riley in praise.
“I’ve never had a chance to interact with Pat,” Kuzma said. “But I’ve always admired him. I just admired his just no-nonsense approach when it came to basketball and being professional because that’s me. When I’m off the court, I’m very fun. I have all these different passions. But when I step in between the lines of basketball, I’m very, very serious because I love it and it’s important to me.”
Superstar Jimmy Butler is nearing the end of his career, leaving a void in the forward room. The hope is sophomore Jaime Jaquez Jr. can replace some of Butler’s absence, but likely cannot do it alone.
Kuzma’s stats as the Wizards’ No. 1 option make it a bit harder to judge a potential fit in the Heat’s system. He averaged 22.2 points on 46.3 percent shooting last season.
“So, I just love what he stands for, and when you look at his just tutelage of the sport and resume from the Showtime years up until just building what the Heat culture is. It’s pretty phenomenal,” Kuzma shared.
Kuzma does not fit with Washington’s timeline at age 29, potentially opening the door for the Heat to get the deal done.
