In his words, Dwyane Wade believes that had he played one more season in the NBA, the Miami Heat may have won the 2020 NBA Championship. It's a "what if" that will haunt Heat fans more than they are willing to admit.
And it will only add more regret to the entire "what if" scenario of that entire NBA Finals series for Heat fans.
On a recent podcast, Wade admitted that he thought he could've made a real difference for the Heat in that Finals series against the Los Angeles Lakers, one they eventually lost in six games.
“I was in my theatre room watching all the bubble games and I was like, ‘there’s one more little piece that’s missing.’ Maybe it’s a player off the bench that can play 15 or 20 minutes… Jimmy was incredible and he needed just a little bit more help and I felt like I was actually the little bit more help.”
In that series, the Heat was decimated by injuries. In that respect, it's not outlandish to suggest that Wade could've been a huge asset, even in a bench role, for the Heat. Would they have beaten the Lakers? Who knows. But there's no question Wade, even at that point in his career, would've been an asset.
Heat history would have been drastically changed if they had won in 2020
I don't think many realize just how different the Heat would be viewed had they won the championship in 2020. If there's been one big blemish from the Jimmy Butler era, it's the fact that they made the NBA Finals twice and didn't win a title.
If Wade ends up playing one more season and ends up being the final piece of their championship puzzle, that changes a ton. Maybe Jimmy gets his extension. Perhaps his relationship with the Heat never gets fractured.
Wade gets a fourth title. Jimmy gets his first. The Heat get their first, in a matter of four years, in the post-LeBron James era. Perhaps most interestingly, LeBron never gets his ring in Los Angeles.
The ripple effects of such a scenario go well beyond just inside the Heat's organization.
Looking back, that 2020 NBA Finals series is one that still haunts the Heat to this day. Not just because of everything that transpired in the years after involving Jimmy, but because if the Heat were healthy, they believe they would've prevailed.
Throw in Father Prime into that entire situation, and it's not that outlandish of a thought.
Hearing Wade say it does add another layer of hurt in the hearts of Heat fans when looking back at how that season ended.
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