“Pat Riley Is a Whale Hunter”: Dwyane Wade Speaks on Ja Morant to Miami Rumors

It seems every season, the Miami Heat have some link to a star player. In the past, they have been closely tied to Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, and others. And this season, Ja Morant has joined that elite list. The Heat themselves haven’t spoken on the possible trade publicly but one of the biggest members in franchise history, Dwyane Wade has hinted in the direction.

It was clear that once the Heat traded away Jimmy Butler, they would be in the business of adding another star player. But while, Miami is a desirable location for many players, it isn’t an easy place to play. Pat Riley’s extensive conditioning program either makes or breaks a player.

Riley himself is aware that stars can often fail to shine in the Miami’s system. Consequently, they have remained wary of pulling the trigger on a trade. But even the Heat front office is aware that some opportunities are too good to pass up. Acquiring Morant may be one of those chances.

Now, Morant doesn’t have a squeaky-clean resume. The two-time All-Star has had his share of off-court scandals along with his injury history. Regardless, that doesn’t take away from the natural talent and skill, something the Heat and Wade have been watching very closely.

Wade has been a big supporter of Morant ever since he entered the league. Wade also spent 15 years in the Heat organization, which allowed him to get to know Riley pretty well. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the former NBA champion believes in Riley’s ability to scout and hire talent.

“Pat Riley is a whale hunter,” Wade proclaimed on Time Out. “Whatever the whale hunter wants to do, he’s going to do it.”

Regardless of who matter who this ‘whale’ is, Wade is a firm believer that Miami will always be in the mix.

“Would it work? Who knows. There’s some whales out there. Miami’s name is going to always come up when it’s a whale, when it’s fish, when it’s a pebble in the f****** water,” Wade said.

It should be noted that the three-time NBA champion is also a part of the ownership group of the Utah Jazz. And as long as those two teams are involved, he will have a dog in the fight.

“It’s either I want the Jazz to win or I want the Heat to win. Everybody else have fun. The Heat is one of the teams I want to win because my basketball legacy is there,” Wade added.

The Heat’s name will certainly come up, as it has many times in the past. One thing with whale hunting is that although it may be big, it isn’t always a guarantee that it’s an easy catch.

The Heat are quite aware of that as they have missed out on plenty of whales. Only time will tell if they can actually reel Morant in.