The Godfather regrets not making Dwyane Wade an offer he couldn't refuse.
"What happened with Dwyane floored me, and I'm gonna miss the fact of what I might've had planned for him and his future and how I saw the end of his time here," Miami Heat president Pat Riley said at a press conference Saturday.
Riley didn't exactly pull out all the stops to re-sign the face of his franchise for the past 13 years. In fact, he didn't pull out any.
"The buck really stops here. I'm not trying to fall on my sword for anybody. I have great regret I didn't put myself in the middle of it. Get in a canoe and paddle to the Mediterranean if I had to. Be in New York to greet him at the airport. I didn't do that," Riley said.
The team's No. 1 priority this offseason was signing Hassan Whiteside to a max contract and trying (unsuccessfully) to get Kevin Durant on board. Meanwhile, Wade took his talents from South Beach to join his hometown Chicago Bulls.
"We all speak with one voice. We as an organization didn't do enough for Dwyane," Riley said.
He also admitted he wishes he helped Wade end his career where he started it by giving him the money he needed and wanted. Alas, there isn't an opportunity for a do-over.
"It's not going to be the same without (Wade) but we will forge ahead ... There will always be a key under the mat (for Dwyane), I just hope it doesn't get too rusty," Riley added.
"We will miss him."
