The Miami Heat are sitting idly at the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference. The Dwyane Wade is practically 10 games away from the Cleveland Cavaliers - the basketball team now led by former teammate LeBron James. To make their situation more precarious, the Miami Heat are only one game up from the Indiana Pacers of Paul George.
Ever since the exit of King James, the Chris Bosh squad have been struggling to get back to their NBA championship form. While James attempts to recreate the championship spirit in the Cleveland Cavaliers to finally beat the Golden State Warriors of Stephen Curry, Hassan Whiteside and his squad battle inconsistencies and poor gameplay execution. Despite these issues, Pat Riley remains optimistic and confident of the Miami Heat's chances of going back to its former glory.
Talking about the decisions he made in the past, the Miami Heat general manager shared that he does not regret trading Shaquille O'Neal. Riley pointed out that the exit of O'Neal from the squad may have caused a rift between both parties, but it led to more fruitful endeavors.
"[W]hen we rebuilt the team, we had a great young team with Dwyane Wade, Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant and the big man came on the market. And when a guy of that stature comes on the market, I tried to do everything we could to try to acquire him, and we had to give up some young players, but it led to a title," said Riley via the Sun Sentinel.
He added, "So if I had to do it again, I would do it again, because I to win now. I'm getting too old to say, 'I want to win down the road.' I want to win now. That's what this is all about."
With this goal in mind, rumors are rife with the possibility of seeing Rudy Gay enter the Miami Heat. Sports insiders disclosed that the Sacramento Kings star is one of the most significant targets for the Wade team. Reports disclosed that a player to help with the wings is a necessity for the Miami Heat and Gay's name came up during the discussion.
"Mike Wallace said on-air that Heat talking to team from Pacific division on trading for a wing to improve 3pt. Any idea whom?" asked a fan to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.
Kyler responded, "Rudy Gay is the name I have heard mentioned, not sure that happens."
The NBA trade rumors involving Gay have been rampant this season. Earlier reports disclosed that the Sacramento Kings are quietly shopping the basketball star. With the entry of Rajon Rondo, the role of Gay in the NBA team has considerably diminished. Moreover, DeMarcus Cousins appear to be responding more the former Boston Celtics star than Gay.
