On Thursday before the trade deadline, the HEAT acquired Dwyane Wade from the Cavaliers for a protected 2024 second-round draft pick and also picked up Luke Babbitt from the Hawks for Okaro White.
Miami HEAT President, Pat Riley, spoke about the moves on a conference call.
On The Trade Deadline As A Whole
“We have passed another trade deadline, so it’s 47 years for me, and I think this is one of the very best for me personally and also as the president of the organization. [I’m] just so happy that we were able to be able to complete a trade that I truly think is going to help us tremendously and from a competitive standpoint now to win.”
On Acquiring Dwyane Wade
“It was a sad day when Dwyane left, and it’s a beautiful day now that he’s back.”
“It’s about competing for a favorable playoff spot or even just to get into the playoffs. That’s what this is about. And I couldn’t think of a better player to bring in here without having to give up a lot of assets or young assets...to be able to get Dwyane back to help us in that role, I think it was a very good deal for us.”
On Acquiring Luke Babbitt
“We liked Luke. We wanted to sign Luke again last summer, but really ran out of roster spots. Spo loves Luke. He loves the fact that he spaces the floor [and that] he’s a no-nonsense player. And when you take a look at his numbers from three-point range this year, even though it’s a smaller sample size, from all areas of the court, he’s way above average.”
On Where He Sees Wade Fitting In
“He can get to the rim, he can make plays and he can make shots. And he has an uncanny ability to do that when the pressure is put on him…he still has a lot left in the tank…with Dion out and Dwyane back, he’s a perfect fit for our team.”
“There’s something about Dwyane at the end of games that is unique and special. I don’t think you lose that.”
On His View Of The Team
“We have a team that is pure [and] that wants to win big-time…I do think moving forward, we have a tough schedule…but there’s six or seven teams just like us all frothing at the mouth and we want in. I think the teams like us that are fighting to get into the playoffs, any of us who get in there are going to be formidable, and I think the teams at the top know that.”