Udonis Haslem revealed last week that he was once involved in a planned trade package with the Philadelphia 76ers for Allen Iverson. If he could, he said he would ask Dwyane Wade whether the deal ever came close to going through. Since Wade was the Miami Heat’s star player at the time, he would most likely have been aware of or involved in discussions surrounding such a move.
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Fortunately, Wade came on the NBA on Prime only a week later. And when he did, Haslem just had to ask him about it again, putting him on the spot.
After all, Haslem was the heart and soul of the Miami Heat for many years, and he was surprised to be mentioned in trade talks at all. Wade revealed that he did get a call from Pat Riley at the time in regards to the deal.
“Riles came in to talk to me about the possibility of trading for Allen Iverson,” Wade revealed. “That’s one of my favorite players, and I love him. I was like, ‘Bet! Let’s do it!’ He was like, ‘You in?’ I said, ‘I’m in.’”
Naturally, Wade was pumped. Iverson was one of the best guards in the NBA at the time, and the Heat were just coming off a championship (2006). Together, they would’ve been an unstoppable force in the backcourt. However, when Riley revealed that Haslem was going to be included in the deal, Wade refused.
“Then he was like, ‘We’re going to have to trade UD.’ I said, ‘I’m out.’ That was it, I was out,” Wade said. “I love AI, but AI wasn’t going to stick up for me. He wasn’t going to fight for me. He wasn’t going to take no fines for me or nothing.”
Out of all the players on the team, Haslem was off limits in Wade’s mind. Many forget that early in his career, he was one of the best defensive power forwards in the game. He played a major role in the team’s championship run. However, according to Wade, the deal was close to being done.
“Whenever Pat Riley is involved in making a move, you’re always close,” he shared. “Iverson sounded great until the heart and soul of the team had to go, and that just wasn’t going to be.”
Eventually, Haslem went on to remain a Heat icon throughout his entire 20 year career and became one of the most respected veterans in the NBA.
Who knows what might have happened to Haslem had he been traded so early in his career? He could have become a legend for another team, or he might have fallen out of the league entirely. Instead, thanks to Wade, he avoided the trade and remained with the Heat for the next two decades.
