The Miami Heat have had a lot happen this offseason. The Giannis Antetokounmpo trade is obviously the biggest development, but in the wake of that move, Bam Adebayo ended up getting into a fight with one of his former teammates who was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of this deal, Tyler Herro, which has quickly become one of the top storylines of the offseason.
For the most part, the Heat are looking to move past his incident, but don’t tell that to their general manager, Pat Riley. During Antetokounmpo’s introductory press conference, Riley managed to take another shot at Herro by making a simple comment about Adebayo, and it quickly caught the attention of fans everywhere.
Pat Riley Takes Another Jab at Tyler Herro
“I DON’T WANNA GET KNOCKED OUT” 😂
Miami went all in to get Antetokounmpo, and on the surface, it’s not too hard to see why. When he’s healthy and on the court, Antetokounmpo is still one of the best players in the league, and the Heat have been desperately trying to land a superstar-caliber player for the past couple of years. Landing Antetokounmpo undoubtedly fits the bill for this team.
Beneath the surface, though, the relationship between Adebayo and Herro appears to have been untenable, which may be another reason why the team worked so hard to get this deal done. Herro made some critical comments about Adebayo after getting traded, which led to their aforementioned dustup in Las Vegas during the NBA’s Summer League action.
All parties seem to want to move past this, with the league even revealing that it won’t be handing out discipline for either guy involved in this skirmish. Riley always loves to stir the pot, though, so it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that he landed another punch on Herro with a subtle comment about Adebayo on Thursday.
“I don’t wanna get knocked out,” Riley hilariously said when noting Adebayo’s presence at Antetokounmpo’s press conference.
Pat Riley Has Helped Turn the Heat Back into a Championship Contender
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 09: Pat Riley speaks to media at Kaseya Center on February 09, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Riley may be a divisive figure at times, but for the Heat, he’s a legend, and he has once again proven his basketball savvy by pulling off a handful of shrewd moves this offseason. After giving up so much to get Antetokounmpo, Miami’s rotation needs some help, but Riley has made it clear the team isn’t done yet, as he hinted at the team’s quest to reunite with LeBron James in free agency.
Even without accounting for James or any other potential additions, the Heat are a clear-cut contender in the Eastern Conference. Sure, more help could be used, particularly in the backcourt, but having guys like Antetokounmpo and Adebayo makes those issues much easier to deal with. In just a couple of weeks, Herro has become a punching bag for Miami, but make no mistake, Riley is hard at work looking for a replacement for the valuable sharpshooting guard.
Heat GM Pat Riley Takes Shot at Tyler Herro with Bam Adebayo Comment