National Basketball Association

Miami Heat: Ranking The Top 5 Acquisitions In Franchise History

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Miami Heat president Pat Riley recently said that Shaquille O’Neal was the team’s biggest acquisition in the history of the franchise. Is that assessment correct?

Dallas, UNITED STATES: Miami Heat head coach Pat Riley (C) holds the Larry O’Brian trophy with Dwyane Wade (L) and Shaquille O’Neal (R) after winning the NBA finals against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas 20 June 2006. The Heat won 95-92 to take the best-of-seven series 4-2. AFP PHOTO/Jeff HAYNES (Photo credit should read JEFF HAYNES/AFP/Getty Images)

Pat Riley has been with the Miami Heat for two decades, serving in multiple capacities. Under his watch, the team has produced three NBA titles; seven conference finals appearances and 19 playoff appearances.

Over the course of those 21 seasons, Riley has acquired a number of star players, including Shaquille O’Neal, who was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.

When asked about the importance of signing O’Neal back in 2004, Riley raised a few eyebrows when he stated that O’Neal was the team’s most significant acquisition in franchise history.

From Miami Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman:

“I’ll say this, and I mean this,” Riley said a few days ago, “Shaq’s acquisition was bigger than any acquisition that we ever made, including the Big Three.”

Some of you may be thinking “what about Alonzo Mourning“? After all, he helped Riley turn the franchise around when they arrived together in 1995?

“Zo was big,” Riley says, “but getting Shaquille changed everything for our franchise. The seminal moment,” Riley says, “to really make us really, really legitimate. He turned our franchise around. He gave us real legitimacy.”

So was Riley’ assessment accurate? Today we will answer this question by looking back at the Heat’s top five acquisitions.

MIAMI, FL – JUNE 12: Ray Allen #34 of the Miami Heat drives to the basket against Danny Green #4 of the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the 2014 NBA Finals at American Airlines Arena on June 12, 2014 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

5. Ray Allen

When the Heat won its first title in 2006, Riley opted not to make any major changes to the roster. As a result, Miami was swept in the first round of the postseason the following year.

After Miami won it all in 2012, Riley wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. To help bolster the roster, the Heat signed Ray Allen.

By adding Allen to the mix, the Heat not only picked up a player who is the league’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals, they also lured away a key contributor from a Boston Celtics team that they defeated in the conference finals.

Although Allen’s numbers (10.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game) were not overly impressive, he did play a key role during the Heat’s second title run.

That memorable shot helped Miami overcome a five-point deficit in the closing moments of Game 6 and they eventually went on to win Game 7 as well.

Allen scored just nine points in the final two games, but the Heat don’t repeat without him coming up big when it mattered the most.

MIAMI, UNITED STATES: Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat sits on the bench 09 May, 2000 during the 4th quarter against the New York Knicks in game two of the Eastern Conference semifinals at American Airlines Arena in Miami. The Knicks defeated the Heat 82-76 to even the best-of seven series at 1-1. ELECTRONIC IMAGE AFP PHOTO RHONA WISE (Photo credit should read RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images)

4. Tim Hardaway

The Heat acquired Tim Hardaway prior to the trade deadline in February 1996.

This could have been a gamble being that Hardaway wasn’t the same flashy player he was during his early years with the Golden State Warriors, due to an ACL injury that forced him to miss the entire 1993-94 campaign.

But after watching his team lose 26 of 29 games, Riley knew that a change was needed.

From the ChicagoTribune.com

With those results . . . you’ve got to make some decisions,” Riley said. “We are not going to give up on the season. I don’t know how much this is going to disrupt us. We are going to have to simplify things.

“Today obviously was a day that I felt was coming all along if we had the opportunity to improve the position of this team. It was a very difficult day for me personally.”

Riley’s pain would be alleviated by the fact that Hardaway put up some pretty respectable numbers during his stint with the Heat.

Over a six-and-a-half year stretch, Hardaway averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 assists per contest. Along with that, Hardaway converted 35 percent of his attempts from distance; is still the team’s all-time leader with 806 three-pointers and he earned two All-Star selections as well.

MIAMI, UNITED STATES: Head coach of the Miami Heat Pat Riley(L) sits with newly acquired center Alonzo Mourning in a press conference held at the Miami Arena 03 November. Mourning was traded to the Heat from the Charlotte Hornets in a six-player trade that will reportedly net him 44 million USD over a four-year extension. AFP PHOTO by Rhonma Wise (Photo credit should read RHONA WISE/AFP/Getty Images)

3. Alonzo Mourning

Timing was everything in this scenario. Mourning was unhappy during his contract talks with the Charlotte Hornets, while Riley was looking to acquire a player that would make the Heat relevant.

After it became obvious that Mourning and the Hornets weren’t going to reach an agreement on a deal, two teams executed a six-player trade in November of 1995.

Charlotte sent Mourning, reserve center LeRon Ellis and backup guard Pete Myers to Miami. In exchange, the Hornets got long-range shooter Glen Rice, center Matt Geiger and point guard Khalid Reeves, as well as the Heat’s No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Mourning didn’t disappoint, as his averages hovered right around 20 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest during his first full five years with the Heat.

Unfortunately, a kidney disease and eventual transplant would prevent “Zo” from continuously putting up big numbers and leading Miami to a title.

In spite of that fact, Mourning’s overall numbers (16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per contest) are still impressive and let’s not forget about these accolades as well:

Simply put, Mourning was a force in the middle for the Heat when he was healthy, and he definitely deserves consideration as one of the top acquisitions in the history of this franchise.

MIAMI – JULY 20: Shaquille O’Neal of the Miami Heat holds his new #32 jersey while standig with with President and General Manager Randy Pfund, Coach Stan Van Gundy, and Pat Riley during a press confrence at the American Airlines Arena on July 20, 2004 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images)

2. Shaquille O’Neal

Following a disappointing Finals loss to the Detroit Pistons and the departure of Phil Jackson, O’Neal requested that the Los Angeles Lakers trade him after they decided not to offer him a contract extension.

As was the case with Mourning, Riley moved quickly to acquire yet another dominant center. The Heat sent Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a first-round pick in exchange for “The Big Aristotle.”

“Today the Miami Heat took a giant step forward in our continued pursuit of an NBA championship,” Heat President Pat Riley said, via USA Today. “We feel that we have traded for the best player in the NBA. You don’t get many chances to acquire the best player in the league.”

Upon his arrival, Shaq promised the Heat would win the title. And in his second season, that promise came to fruition, as Miami defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

The caveat here is, O’Neal’ didn’t play particularly well against the Mavs. Sure, his rebounding numbers (10.2 per contest) were solid, but he averaged just 13.7 points per outing — his lowest scoring output of any round of the 2006 postseason.

Furthermore, the Heat don’t win the series if it wasn’t for Dwyane Wade, who averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds 3.8 assists and 2.7 steals per game.

Miami’s moment at the top would be short-lived, however, as they were eliminated in the first round of the postseason by the Chicago Bulls the following year. In 2008, the Heat and O’Neal parted ways following a 9-37 start.

MIAMI – NOVEMBER 06: Dwyane Wade #3, LeBron James #6 and Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat chat during a game against the New Jersey Nets at American Airlines Arena on November 6, 2010 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

1. The Big Three

Despite having established himself as one of the greatest talents in the game, LeBron James did not win a title during his first seven years with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Meanwhile, Wade and the Heat had been ousted in the first round of the playoffs for two straight years.

As you may recall, Riley pulled off yet another blockbuster deal, acquiring both James and Chris Bosh, thus creating one of the most formidable trios in the league.

No, the Heat didn’t win seven championships as James promised. However, they did go the the Finals four straight seasons, becoming the first team to do so since the Boston Celtics, who accomplished the feat from 1984-1987.

Even more important, the Heat won consecutive titles in 2012 and 2013 during that span, providing the franchise with its most dominant run in franchise history.