Dwyane Wade has talked plenty about the time he, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh formed the Big Three in Miami and wreaked havoc across the league. Yet, up until now, he hasn’t talked about how he almost left the Heat before James called him on the phone.
On the latest episode of The OGs Show, hosted by Wade’s former teammates, Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, Wade dropped a truth bomb about 2010 free agency.
Heat Icon Dwyane Wade Reveals He Nearly Left the Team Before LeBron James Joined
Speaking with his former teammates, both of whom were on the Heat’s 2012 and 2013 championship rosters, Wade talked about the famous free agency of 2010, saying the following,
“I was actually leaving Miami at that time. I didn’t think that nobody out there that [the Heat] could get was going to get us to that [championship] level… For me, my hometown team could win. So I was like, ‘Man, I’m going back home. I’m going to Chicago. I played seven years here, I won a championship, It’s time.’… But I got that call, man. I got that call from number six.”
Of course, Wade would eventually end up in his hometown, six years later. But that was after he and LeBron won two titles together in Miami.
Dwyane Wade was almost headed to Chicago, then Lebron made the call 👀
The OGs x Dwyane Wade out now here: https://t.co/GQl7uuA4Bo pic.twitter.com/ZwmManwxvu
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) November 5, 2024
Could Wade Win in Chicago?
At the time, the Heat had three legitimate competitors in the East, the Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics, and the Orlando Magic. The Bulls, led by youngest MVP Derrick Rose, won 62 games the first year Wade and James played in Miami. The two teams met in the Conference Finals, with the Heat eventually winning 4-1.
Nevertheless, the Bulls had a great team. Led by Rose, they also had Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer, and Taj Gibson on the team. Add in Wade, and they would have solved their biggest issue, which was scoring besides Rose.
Wade and LeBron Wanted Bosh
The three-time NBA champion also talked about how he and LeBron were on the same page about the third guy they wanted on their team. After LeBron and Wade got on the phone for the first time, they started talking about the third star they would love to bring in. Wade revealed,
“We already knew the other player if it was three who we would like to play with. His name was Christopher Bosh. Chris was represented by the same agent, Henry Thomas, at the time. And so, we just kind of like Chris know we are having this meeting, let’s talk about some stuff. We had this secret meeting and it was real talk”.
Dwyane Wade reveals how Chris Bosh became part of the Big 3 👀
The OGs x Dwyane Wade out now here: https://t.co/GQl7uuA4Bo pic.twitter.com/yAFt7XZdTJ
— The OGs Show (@theOGsShow) November 5, 2024
Could the Bulls Pulled Wade + Bosh?
In the summer of 2010, the Bulls had enough cap space to sign two max players, and they knew they had no chance at LeBron. But their plan was to get Wade and Bosh to come in and continue building on the core they had. They prepared for the summer of 2010 by letting Ben Gordon go in free agency in 2009 and then traded Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons to Milwaukee at the deadline for expiring contracts.
When the time came, they made a great pitch to Wade. But as history shows, there is always a better pitch. If the Bulls managed to trade Deng and get LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, that would have been a different story. But that remains a “What If” question.
