Inside The Heat

NBA Insider Ponders If Miami Heat Could Satisfy "Decade-Long Obsession" For Hall Of Famer

Shandel Richardson|
Feb 3, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) pump-fakes against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images
Feb 3, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) pump-fakes against Portland Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant (9) in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images

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Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have chased Kevin Durant since the LeBron James era ended in 2014.

Could this be the year they finally complete a deal? NBA insider Ethan Skolnick of the Five Reasons Sports Network recently tackled the issue.

"This as been a decade-long obsessions for the Heat," Skolnick said on his podcast.

Skolnick debated the topic with co-host Greg Sylvander.

RILEY STRIKES SUPER BOWL DEAL

It was reported earlier this week the Suns are willing to entertain trade offers for Durant. The Heat have made two pitches in the past 10 years. They tried in 2016 but he ended up choosing the Golden State Warriors after his Oklahoma City Thunder lost to them the previous season.

They then tried again after Durant was with the Brooklyn Nets. He requested a trade but landed with the Phoenix Suns instead.

Miami Heat team president Pat Riley could make a decent amount of money if the Super Bowl falls in his favor.

The Kansas City Chiefs will become the first team in the Super Bowl Era to three-peat if they defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. If you asked Pat Riley who he is favoring, his latest deal with the NFL suggests his rooting interest.

In August of 1989 Riles & Company, Inc., Riley's corporate entity, successfully registered a trademark in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office —Registration Number 1552980— the phrase “three-peat.” Since, the only teams to three-peat are the Chicago Bulls (91'-93', 96'-98'), the New York Yankees (98'-2000), and the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers in the early 2000s.

The terms of the deal haven't been revealed, but Finance Monthly reported Riley received $600,000 from the Chicago Bulls in 1998 when they completed a second three-peat. Adjusted for inflation the outcome would be $1.16 million as of December 2024. This deal could make Riley more $2 million if Patrick Mahomes leads the Chiefs to victory.

Riley has said he donates most of the trademark money to charity so a win for the Chiefs would also benefit others.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here