Kevin Durant's agent unloads on Stephen A. Smith for ‘awful’ Pat Riley remarks

The Miami Heat have fallen to 29-40 after losing nine straight games. On Thursday's episode of "First Take," Stephen A. Smith criticized Pat Riley, highlighting some of the mishaps that have happened to the Heat organization as of late.

Specifically, he criticized the Heat for losing superstar players and missing opportunities to acquire others. He put the spotlight on team president Riley, asserting that he'd be remembered for letting one of the league's biggest stars go for nearly nothing.

That star is none other than LeBron James, who left the Heat in the summer of 2014 to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"You're Pat Riley and your legacy is gonna be—even though LeBron was leaving anyway," Stephen A. Smith said. "You know what people are gonna say: 'LeBron James left for chocolate chip cookies.'"

As expected, Stephen A. Smith's remarks regarding the Hall of Fame head coach caught some attention and drew some reactions. One of the people who reacted to his comments was Rich Kleiman, Kevin Durant's agent.

"That's his legacy?? Awful take... Pat Riley is a winner and a legend," Kleiman commented.

Rich Kleiman's comment (Photo credits: nbaonespn & firsttake on Instagram)

Pat Riley is one of the most decorated coaches in league history with 24 years of head coaching experience (11 with the Miami Heat, nine with the LA Lakers and four with the New York Knicks).

He's coached five championship-winning teams (1982, '85, '87 & '88 Lakers and '06 Heat) and has been named Coach of the Year three times ('90, '93, 97). In 2011, he was also named the NBA's Executive of the Year.

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Stephen A. Smith didn't shy away from criticizing Pat Riley for the way Jimmy Butler was handled

Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat to two different Finals appearances, but his stint will likely be remembered for its ugly end. Tensions between him and the organization escalated to the point of multiple suspensions. Then, he had his name put in trade talks to various teams before being eventually sent to the Golden State Warriors.

Toward the end of his stint with the Heat, reports surfaced about the deteriorating relationship between Butler and the front office. On a January episode of First Take, league insider Brian Windhorst gave a report stating that the Heat told Butler that he was not going to be a starter.

Butler responded by leaving practice, which eventually got him suspended, bringing about speculation that the Heat baited him.

As a response to this report, Stephen A. Smith criticized team president Pat Riley:

"To tell Jimmy Butler that in front of the team in a huddle, they know better than that," Stephen A. said. "So that's Pat Riley giving a directive, Erik Spoelstra following it, and as a result, to provoke Jimmy Butler." (3:43-4:00)

Stephen A. then said that this was not a "first-class move" from the organization before criticizing Riley.

"The issue with Pat Riley is it's rare that he's wrong," Stephen A. said. "It's that he's dogged in his approach. He's old school and it's difficult for him to change." (5:27-5:38)

Since trading Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat have sunk to tenth place in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are 15-2 in games that Butler has played in.