Gilbert Arenas disclosed on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Nightcap, to the shock and surprise of many, the Miami Heat’s contemplation of trading LeBron James for Chris Paul. This came immediately after the team’s shock defeat in the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. A move that would have altered the trajectory of both players’ careers had it materialized.
Arenas revealed that the Heat’s defeat to the Mavericks in 2011 sparked internal deliberations about the team’s chemistry, particularly due to LeBron James’ playoff performance. Despite James having an outstanding season, his Finals showing dipped, prompting the Heat to consider a major trade.
Chris Paul, then playing for the New Orleans Hornets (now known as Pelicans) before being traded to the LA Clippers, emerged as a possible catalyst for change in Miami. Arenas debunked the rumors about the trade’s timeline. He said:
Let’s rewind back to 2010-11 when they lost to Dallas. What was the reason they lost to Dallas? Who played bad? Who didn’t fit well with the other two? Miami was thinking about trading, and it wasn’t Bosh at that time. ‘Cause you know, right then, it was who’s fighting over power?
LeBron was brought to the Miami Heat for the sole purpose of bringing a championship to the city of Miami. During the 2011 NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat as favorites lost in six games after leading the series 2-1. James’ performance was abysmal as he managed just eight points all through Game 4 of the series and had a finals average of 17.8 points per game, a significant 8.9 points drop he had during the regular season.
Chris Paul revealed real reason why he never teamed up with LeBron James
There were instances and unending rumors that Chris Paul could have joined the Miami Heat and teamed up with LeBron James and the famed “Big Three.” In a recent conversation with Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul threw light on the facts about what happened.
Chris Paul (mage via GSW/X)Speaking with Wade on his podcast, “The Why with Dwyane Wade,” CP3 said,
We was talking about me coming to Miami. We was talking about who was gonna have the ball in their hands, how it’s going to work. We talk about all of this, who’s gonna have the ball, how we’re all going to play together. We done figured all that out.
Wade then said,
And then somebody said ‘Well, who’s gonna wear number three?’ Silence. Messed the whole trade up.
“Messed the whole trade up because CP couldn’t wear No. 3 in Miami.”
Chris Paul was almost traded to the Heat to play alongside LeBron and Dwyane Wade but the trade fell through because he couldn’t wear No. 3. 😳pic.twitter.com/TQBmMDYr7t
— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) February 28, 2024
Dwyane Wade was not willing to give up his jersey number and “The Point God” was not also willing to compromise on the issue. Maybe he could have won his first NBA ring. But for now, the wait continues, even though he still appears optimistic about his chances before retirement.
