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Miami Heat Blockbuster Trade Potential Gets Harsh Reality Check From NBA Exec

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Deveney | Last updated May 9, 2025 11:55 PM ET

Miami Heat head honcho Pat Riley spoke on Friday, and each year, his postseason address to the media is high entertainment. Last year, remember, his swipes at Jimmy Butler set the stage for Butler to seek a trade in February. And this year, Riley did not disappoint.

Riley spoke extensively about the Butler situation that sank the 2024-25 season, but he was more interested in discussing what's next for the Heat, and how he's built rosters in the past.

"I do think we do have to make changes, Riley said. "There's no doubt. There has to be some change."

Ah, but it gets tricky from there. With Butler gone, the Heat have a virtually bare cabinet. Two young draftees, Nikola Jovic (2022 first-rounder) and Jaime Jaquez (2023) have seen their stock plummet after showing some early promise with the Heat, putting a major dent in Miami's reputation for developing young talent.

The Heat do not have their draft pick this year, but do have one they got from Golden State in the Butler deal. They owe Charlotte a first-rounder in 2027.

One NBA general manager was decidedly skeptical that the Heat could trade for a star in his prime, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, should the Bucks put him on the market.

He said: “I am sure they want to overhaul things. But you know, there are a lot of teams that would like to overhaul some things but you can’t just snap your fingers. You want to make a big trade, but what are you going to give me? What’s on that roster? They don’t want to trade Bam but other than him, what is there? They do not have the assets for a guy like Giannis.

"What are you giving me back? They had two young players who had some value but they really just have not developed those guys. Jovic has not made any steps forward, he is 6-foot-10 and gets three, four rebounds a game. Jaquez looked like a steal. But then they benched him. They killed their own assets.

"They can give up, what, Tyler Herro, Jaquez and Jovic and two future first-round picks? What do you think you’re getting for that? Maybe (Kevin) Durant, he is 37. But not a guy you can build with.”

Riley, at age 80, has vowed to keep the reins of the franchise. That might be part of the problem.

"I do think Pat has lost his fastball a little bit," the GM said. "They keep getting themselves in these bad situations, and they used to get themselves out of bad situations, with better assets. Now you're getting Kyle Lowry going out (in a trade) for Terry Rozier, and Jimmy Butler going out for Andrew Wiggins.

"What are you supposed to do with Terry Rozier and Andrew Wiggins?"

That'll be up to Riley to figure out.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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