8. James Posey (2005-07)
One year into the Shaquille O’Neal experiment, the Miami Heat’s front office believed their supporting cast needed to be completely revamped. During the 2005 offseason, that’s exactly what transpired. As part of the largest trade in NBA history (which included 13 players and five teams), James Posey was one of the players who was sent to the Miami Heat. Posey would end up playing an instrumental role for Miami each of the next two seasons.
It was his contributions to the 2006 championship team that made him one of the most underrated players to ever put on a Heat jersey. During the 2005-06 season, Posey started 63 of 67 games played during the regular season, averaging seven points and five rebounds on 40 percent shooting from 3-point range – all while being the team’s primary wing defender. During the playoffs, he would push his 3-point shooting percentage to 42 percent.
In the end, Posey only played two seasons with the Heat but it felt like much more. Dwyane Wade was deservedly the story of the Heat’s 2006 NBA Finals run, but their supporting cast doesn’t often get the praise they deserve. Posey is one of those players.
During the 2007 offseason, Posey signed with the Boston Celtics where he would go on to win his second championship in three years.