As the Miami Heat made the blockbuster trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis Jr. from the Milwaukee Bucks, the deal has led to many opinions. With differing varieties of grades and takes for the Heat about the Antetokounmpo, NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson has made a bold take regarding president Pat Riley.
Of course, Johnson and Riley go back to their days with the Los Angeles Lakers throughout the 1980s, leading to four championships. As Riley has been with Miami since 1995, the team has made a bevy of big moves, now adding Antetokounmpo to the list, as Johnson took to social media to say that the basketball icon is “one of the best executives in NBA history.”
“Look how many big trades and free agent signings my former Lakers coach and one of my best friends, Pat Riley, has pulled off – LeBron James, Shaq, Jimmy Butler, Alonzo Mourning, Ray Allen, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Johnson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “And of course, he drafted the legendary Dwyane Wade! It’s not even a question, he’s one of the best executives in NBA history!”
Magic Johnson believes the Heat are up there with the NBA champions
Johnson wouldn’t stop there, as, aside from saying that Antetokounmpo is one of the two best players in the league, aside from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, and that Portis is not a player to sleep on, he would give his opinion on Miami’s current chances. He went as far as to claim that the Heat are now up there with the newly-crowned champions, the New York Knicks.
“Miami Heat owner Micky Arison and his son, Heat CEO Nick Arison, pulled off a major trade for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Bucks,” Johnson wrote on X. “Put them right there with the World Champion New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference!”
At any rate, it remains to be seen how the Heat continue to construct the team around Antetokounmpo, but there is no denying that the move itself is a monumental one.
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