14-Year NBA Vet Blasts Heat President Pat Riley, Supporters

Longtime NBA guard Raymond Felton wants to make several feelings clear regarding Miami Heat president Pat Riley.

First off, Felton still respects Riley, a nine-time champion and Hall of Famer.

However, Felton strongly disagrees with how Riley has handled the never-ending Jimmy Butler trade saga. 

“This some [BS], Pat,” Felton said earlier this week on To The Baha. “I’m gonna be honest, this some BS. … Anybody who’s not telling you that is a yes man.”

Miami suspended Butler for conduct detrimental to the team and announced they’d listen to trade offers earlier this month. The punishment came barely a week after Riley publicly said the Heat wouldn’t trade Butler, who requested a trade Jan. 2.

Felton called the situation “messy” and blamed Riley for escalating things. Riley notably criticized Butler’s durability during an end-of-season press conference last spring.

Miami and Butler failed to reach an extension before the season. Butler is expected to rejoin the Heat when his suspension ends next Friday. 

“You’re wrong in this situation,” Felton said. “Let that man go; he’s unhappy. Obviously, you’re unhappy with him, too. So ya’ll just part ya’ll ways instead of going about it like this.”

BEAL COULD APPROVE TRADE TO HEAT

Theoretically, Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal can prevent any trade involving him and Butler swapping teams. 

The key word there is ‘theoretically.’ If Beal gets a say, he may wind up in Miami after all. 

According to SI NBA insider Chris Mannix, Beal is open to waiving his no-trade clause if he joins a contender. Mannix said that includes the Heat, who likely need to acquire Beal in a trade with the Suns to make finances work.

“He ain’t OKing a deal to, like, Detroit or Charlotte, or any other rebuilding team that’s out there,” Mannix reported on the Jan. 10 episode of The Open Floor NBA Show. “He’s not doing that.”

The problem, Mannix explained, is twofold. First, the logistics of making any trade involving Butler and Beal work are still extremely difficult.

More importantly, Mannix said Miami doesn’t want Beal. The three-time All-Star averages 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 26 games (23 starts). 

“They’ve made that clear,” Mannix explained. “Bradley Beal’s got two and a half years left on his contract. They don’t want that money on their books for the next couple of years.”

GRIFFIN FINDS HUMOR IN BUTLER SAGA

On the one hand, former NBA All-Star Blake Griffin disagrees with how Butler has handled potentially finding a new home.

Then again, Griffin finds the humor in the never-ending saga.

“I love comedy, and I love to laugh, so this s—t’s funny,” Griffin said. “He’s got his braids a different color every night!”

Griffin spoke candidly about the ongoing Butler-Heat feud on the Jan. 9 episode of the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast. He even praised Butler for openly challenging Heat president Pat Riley, who declared Dec. 26 the team wouldn’t trade Butler.

“Nobody does this to Pat Riley,” Griffin noted, “so I kind of f— with it.”

TONIGHT’S GAME

Game time: 10 p.m., Moda Center, Portland

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Betting line: Heat -3.5

VITALS: The Heat and Trail Blazers meet for the first of two regular season matchups. Last season, Miami swept the series, 2-0, and has won a franchise-best four consecutive games in Portland, including six of the last seven overall. The Heat are 29-42 all-time versus the Blazers during the regular season, including 13-22 in home games and 16-20 in road games.

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Jake Elman works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at [email protected] or follow him on X @JakeElman97.