"Godfather, you think I should purchase this house?" - Caron Butler shares a funny Pat Riley story from before he was traded out of Miami

Caron Butler won a title in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks, but he just missed out on winning another one with the Miami Heat . That's because he was part of the trade that saw the Heat acquire Shaquille O'Neal from the Los Angeles Lakers.

After two seasons with Shaq, the Heat won a title in 2006, which must have been tough for Butler to watch. And according to Miami's former wing, Pat Riley may have inadvertently rubbed some salt in his wounds before the trade even went down.

Riley told Butler he wasn't going to get traded

Rumors were swirling throughout the 2005 offseason that Shaq would end up on the Heat. Butler obviously ended up being one of the pieces going the other way, but that didn't stop him from buying a house in the Miami area right before he was dealt.

That may seem like a foolish move, but Butler blames 'The Godfather' for the whole ordeal. He claimed to have asked Riley if he should buy the house, and Pat said yes because he wasn't getting traded. Sure enough, Butler ended up getting traded, which led to a hilarious retort from the Miami executive.

"I reached out to (Pat Riley), I came back from Antigua, and I heard about the trade," Butler said on The OGs . "I kept doing this s*** on repeat, I went to the mall out in Doral over there, all new built community. I bought the house, I asked coach Riley, I was like, 'Godfather, you think I should purchase this house?' He was like, 'Yeah, of course. You ain't going nowhere. You here.' So I was like, 'Oh s***, all them rumors, that ain't real.' This was before social media, so it's just some s*** happening on the ticker."

"I know Shaq is coming, so I was like, 'Damn, what the team gonna look like if Shaq get here? It's gonna be me, Lamar (Odom), (Dwyane Wade), (Udonis Haslem), Eddie Jones.' They was like, 'Oh, yeah, somebody gotta go with picks and all this.' So I was like, 'So, D-Wade gotta go.' I kept doing the math without me in it, and then I was like, 'Oh, s***. I'm about to get traded.' Pat Riley told me…the house was a great investment. Ain't no hard feelings," Butler added.

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Pat's ruthlessness was on full display in this story

Whether it was as a player, a coach, or a member of the front office, Riley built a reputation for doing whatever it took to win. That's on full display in this story, as he convinced Butler he wouldn't get moved to the point where he bought a house in the area.

Of course, Butler foolishly never considered the fact that he could end up getting traded, and once he did, he quickly figured out that he was the odd man out. Once the details came out, he found himself on the Lakers instead of the Heat.

At its core, basketball is a business, and Riley was simply conducting business with the Lakers. Part of that involved keeping Butler happy because he would do whatever he needed to get Shaq. It's ruthless, but you cannot argue with his success rate.

So, Butler ended up with a house in Florida that he didn't need, but he didn't hold it against Pat. However, chances are he would have rather stuck with the Heat and put that house to use while also potentially winning a ring with them in 2006.

Related: Caron Butler on Kobe Bryant meditating on the bench while being down 25: "I'm gonna win another fuc*ing three or four titles"