Miami Heat may need another year to complete latest rebuild | D'Angelo

"It's like nirvana to me," Heat president Pat Riley said the day Giannis was introduced to South Florida.

"He wants to win and he wants to win big. We want to win … and we're not waiting. We're not going to wait. Our plan is to go for it right from the beginning."

But that is not guaranteed.

Riley likens it to adding a "whale" when acquiring a superstar like Antetokounmpo, which generally means his rebuilds make the biggest splash.

Three of those prior to 2026 involved bringing in at least one elite top-tier player. Two of those resulted in three titles; the other falling short in the conference finals.

And each time it took two years for the Heat to find the right complementary parts to surround their foundational pieces to raise a banner.

Acquiring Mourning, Hardaway was Riley's first big move in Miami

Riley showed he would never stand pat just months after arriving, swinging a deal with Charlotte for Alonzo Mourning, one that meant shipping out the greatest player in Heat history up to that point, Glen Rice.

Later that season, he acquired Tim Hardaway.

But those foundational pieces were just the start. Miami won 42 games that first year and lost in the first round of the playoffs. So the next offseason saw the arrival of P.J. Brown, Jamal Mashburn and Dan Majerle.

And 61 wins.

But the Mourning-Hardaway Era always ended in disappointment, mostly thanks to the Knicks, who would become the Heat's biggest nemesis.

But Riley would get his revenge.

In July 2004, the Heat traded for Shaquille O'Neal to pair with emerging superstar Dwyane Wade. That team won 59 games. But Miami fell one game short of the NBA Finals, with Wade missing Game 6 and limited in Game 7 of the conference finals against Detroit because of a strained rib muscle.

Riley went all in the next season, adding Gary Payton, Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey. Miami took a step back in the regular season (52 wins) before racing through the playoffs without ever playing a Game 7.

That included payback against the Pistons in six games, and the franchise's first title, defeating the Mavericks in six games.

Big Three era the most successful in Miami Heat history

The next rebuild would be the benchmark when it comes to constructing a team around three stars.

And still, the Heat needed a year to make it work.

When LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Wade, the expectations were as high as they've been for any team in league history. But that first season ended with Miami losing its final three games and watching the Mavericks celebrate on the Heat's home court after Game 6.

With the Heat becoming the league's new villain, Dallas' title was celebrated in virtually every NBA city not named Miami.

But that was short lived.

One modest addition, Shane Battier, and a more cohesive and humbled group led to the first title of the Big Three era in 2012. Then came another upgrade with Ray Allen joining for the 2012-13 season and playing a crucial role in the Heat repeating, this time in seven games over the Spurs.

The Big Three era may not have lived up to the unreasonable expectations shared by James with his "not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven," promise when it came to titles, but it was the envy of the league with its four Finals appearances, two titles.

Which brings us to 2026.

The Heat acquired a top five talent in Antetokounmpo to join Bam Adebayo as the team's pillars, and added outside shooting in Hardaway Jr. and Thompson. But is it enough?

Miami still is considered a second-tier team … in its own conference. As it should with everyone chasing the defending champion Knicks and the 76ers, who added Jaylen Brown and LeBron James to their core of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Being at the top of that next tier is not a bad thing ... in Year 1. As long as it sets up reaching the ultimate goal in Year 2.

If this team gives the 81-year-old Riley a going-away gift of one more championship to add to his resume, it may not come this season.

My guess: this season comes down to a 76ers-Knicks and Thunder-Spurs Final Four.

Then, Riley will go to work again. Make a few tweaks, maybe even add more firepower, and get his reward in the summer of 2028.

Tom D'Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Heat may need another year to complete latest rebuild | D'Angelo