They had no assets, so just trusting in Riley would have just resulted in

to be honest. There's only so much you can do with 3 players making as much as Bosh, Bron and Wade, that would have accounted for 95% of the cap
No 1st round draft pick this year, no capspace next summer, no future picks owed to them, it would have just been the same ole situation of them scrounging the bargain bin for backup players while Bron/Bosh/Wade got a year older. The Cavs don't have that issue, they have assets, picks, young players and flexibility moving forward.