Miami Heat president Pat Riley has admitted that he found it "difficult" to trade Joel Anthony to the Boston Celtics.

The center moved to the Celtics yesterday as part of a trade which also involved the Golden State Warriors.

Riley said in a statement: "This was very, very, very, very hard. He was the last center that I coached, I remember in 2008. He helped us win two championships. He's part of the Heat family. We wish him nothing but the best.

"Toney Douglas [who joins the Heat from the Warriors] has always been on our radar ever since the New York Knicks drafted him. He's always been on our mind a little bit. This will be a great opportunity for him. You don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we have six weeks to keep trying to figure that out.

"This really is about flexibility more than anything else. In today's game, with the punitive nature of a team that's trying to win and trying to sign players to win, it's changed the landscape in how you think. I mean, 10 years ago, if you wanted to waive a player, you'd waive a player. You have to give that some thought now, especially if your team is $20m over the tax. But this was not a money move."

Also as part of the trade, Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks moved from the Celtics to Golden State.