Roughly 15 years ago, the Miami Heat assembled one of the best trios in NBA history. However, Dwyane Wade revealed that it almost didn't happen. In fact, it wasn't supposed to. Had that happened, there's no question it would've completely altered the course of Heat history.
In his words, Wade revealed on a recent episode of The OGs Show that he was ready to sign with the Chicago Bulls (something he would eventually go on to do a few years later), and that didn't change until LeBron James called him with the desire to team up. After that, the rest is history.
At the time, there were some whispers that Wade was seriously considering signing with the Bulls. However, it was difficult to tell how real those rumors were, especially in a much different time of NBA media. Nevertheless, Wade has revealed before (and here again) that he is serious about it.
If it wasn't for LeBron's desire to make the bold play to team up with Wade and Chris Bosh, who knows where the Heat franchise would be at the moment.
The Heat may not have recovered from 2010
If Miami had missed on the Big 3, and if Wade had left for Chicago, where would the Heat have turned? Maybe Bosh still signs in Miami? But, at that point, he could've still gone to team up with Wade in Chicago or with LeBron in Cleveland or another destination spot.
The Heat still had a ton of cap space and probably would've settled for a second-tier player like Carlos Boozer, who, interestingly enough, was the free agent Chicago decided to sign after missing out on Wade and LeBron.
But without the Big 3 in Miami, it's hard to imagine how the Heat would've been able to make the NBA Finals four straight years and win it all on two occasions. Without that dominant run, the Heat wouldn't be considered one of the best franchises in the league today.
Piggybacking off that, who knows if Heat head coach Erik Spolstra ever becomes the figure he is today? And who knows if Pat Riley still has a job in Miami?
The narrative around the Heat would've changed so much if the Big 3 had never happened in Miami. It's a fun "what if" to think about. And, perhaps most importantly, it's a great reminder of how "lucky" or "fortunate" the Heat was that Wade decided to make the Big 3 happen in Miami and not somewhere else.