The Miami Heat have traded for many notable superstars throughout franchise history, but there's one that failed after the disapproval of Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade.
In every professional sport, there are trade discussions that fall apart and never see the light of day. The business side of it is operating every second of every day. Even with all the insiders, not everything gets leaked.
The Miami Heat have managed to acquire superstars throughout the years, such as Hall of Famers Alonzo Mourning in 1995, Shaquille O'Neal in 2004, and Jimmy Butler in a multi-team sign-and-trade in 2019. However, most fans remember the franchise starting with Dwyane Wade, whom the organization drafted in the infamous 2003 class. He played a major role in all three of the Heat's championships, especially in 2006.
At 24 years old, the All-Star guard led the team towards glory, especially in the Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks. After trailing 0-2, Wade averaged 39.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and a block while shooting 50.5 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from three-point range in the next four games, which resulted in the Heat's first-ever championship.
It's one of the most historic performances in NBA Finals history. However, things could have drastically changed shortly after.
After the NBA Cup semifinals between the New York Knicks and Orlando Magic, and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, Wade revealed an interesting story. He sat down with Taylor Rooks and longtime Heat teammate Udonis Haslem, who are part of the NBA Amazon Prime crew, and shared a trade that nearly happened, but wasn't completed.
"I had a one-on-one with [Pat Riley] about it," the Hall of Fame guard said. "Riles came in to talk to me about the possibility of trading for Allen Iverson. That's one of my favorite players and I love him. I was like, 'Bet, let's do it.' [Riley] was like, 'We're going to have to trade [Haslem].'"
Afterwards, Wade responded with strong disapproval.
"I'm out," he added.
Wade is cemented in Heat history, but there's no telling the story of "Heat Culture" without Haslem.
Iverson, along with Ivan McFarlin, was then traded to the Denver Nuggets from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two 2007 first-round picks. He averaged 26.3 points, three rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.9 steals while shooting 44.2 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from three-point range in 65 games the following season.
There's no denying Iverson's greatness, but there's also no telling what the chemistry would've been between him and Wade, who were both ball-dominant players.
We will never know "The Answer" to "The Question."
Also, both Hall of Famers wore number three on their jerseys, so that would’ve been an interesting situation.
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