When the trades fly, will Heat be aboard?

MIAMI — Paul George wants to be a Laker, apparently sooner rather than later. Jimmy Butler seemingly wouldn’t mind being a Cavalier. LeBron James, however, might, after Cleveland’s general manager wasn’t retained. That evidently also has Kyrie Irving pondering his future. Just as the Knicks purportedly are doing with Kristaps Porzingis. And if Chris Paul isn’t exiting stage left for the Spurs, he could wind up opening a Clippers door for James.

All of that comes in the wake of the Celtics trading the first pick of Thursday’s NBA draft to the 76ers.

The bluster has reached the point where we ostensibly don’t even have time anymore for LaVar Ball.

If you didn’t know better, it’s almost as if this all is some sort of tribute to last week’s passing of Stephen “Flounder” Furst and his iconic “Animal House” line of, “Oh boy, is this great?”

Whether Pat Riley is saying the same is cloaked in typical Heat confidentiality, but never confuse quiet for anything before a potential storm. Shortly after arriving to the Heat’s executive suite in 1995, Riley said nothing was brewing, until Alonzo Mourning was on a flight from Charlotte. Three months later, Riley warned not to expect a trade at the NBA deadline, until roster upheaval landed Tim Hardaway. And on it has gone. Trading for Shaquille O’Neal. Signing James and Chris Bosh.

Heck, Riley even showed up at Kevin Durant’s doorstep last summer without a contending roster or enough money to close a deal.

As it is, nobody does the offseason like the NBA. And we haven’t even gotten to the July 1 start of free agency and what might happen with Gordon Hayward, Blake Griffin, Kyle Lowry, or, for that matter how the Warriors are going to make their cap math work with Durant and Stephen Curry.

The latest whirlwind is a prime example

of how quickly life can change in the NBA.

Only a week ago, there was a whybother resignation from most of the rest of the league when it came to the Warriors’ championship and the Cavaliers’ ability to set up annual NBA Finals sequels.

Then Dan Gilbert decided that for all he has spent in luxury tax, the pay scale for Cavaliers General Manager David Griffin wasn’t as pressing a concern. That got LeBron’s attention, with just one locked-in season left on his Cleveland contract (sound familiar?). The instability has led to Irving being linked to possible future suitors. All the while, Kevin Love has been receiving robo calls from moving companies.

As for Golden State, the latest word is that Andre Iguodala might not be so accepting of afterthought treatment in free agency, with Dwyane Wade offering a lesson a year ago of the extent of championship bonds.

Which leads to the relative silence from 601 Biscayne Boulevard.

Yes, Riley spoke in April of building on the 30-11 second half of the season. At the moment, it was proper and expedient. But that was then, when the Heat were cast with limited assets.

That simply is not the case. While the Heat, by rule, have to exercise a pick in Thursday’s draft, the selected player immediately can be passed along elsewhere. And while there remain trade restrictions on Tyler Johnson, those constraints expire in July. There also is the unique contract of Wayne Ellington, with his $6.3 million for next season not becoming guaranteed until July 7, making him an intriguing salary-cap chip, perhaps for one of the teams linked to the bigger deals for George, Butler or Porzingis.

Riley’s initial (and only) offseason comments about continuity came in the wake of speculation about the future of Justise Winslow, the rehabilitating forward who attracted six picks worth of trade attention from the Celtics at the 2015 draft.

“You start trading guys, you start putting that stuff in the paper, you talk about how much you love this team, but then again they become like chattel,” he said.

Prudence at the trading deadline allowed the Heat to come within a tiebreaker of a playoff berth and firmed up the bonds with impending free agents James Johnson and Dion Waiters.

But patience currently appears to have an expiration date around the NBA. The trade winds are swirling. In this case, the Pat hand could yet change the Heat equation going forward.

Ira Winderman