From 2004 to 2007, one of the NBA’s top scorers was Gilbert Arenas. The debut of generational talent Dwyane Wade in Miami in 2003 coincided with his prime. What if, in their prime, Arenas and Wade teamed up in South Beach? Arenas discussed how he nearly paired up with The Flash during 2003’s free agency on The OGs podcast, which was hosted by Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.
The three-time All-Star noted that, in that particular year, he was the second-most sought-after free agent, behind Lamar Odom. As a result, he drew interest from other clubs, one of which being the Miami Heat, who was rebuilding and looking for a young player to partner with Wade as the focal point of their squad.
The Heat had a clear strategy. Employing Gilbert Arenas and Dwyane Wade as combo guards would have allowed for a more adaptable backcourt setup. With Arenas’ superior long-range ability to balance Wade’s skillful inside and mid-range game, the two may have been an extremely potent combination.
Pat Riley ends Gilbert Arenas move
The plan never worked out. According to Arenas, President Pat Riley was hesitant to offer a twenty-one-year-old athlete, who had not yet proven to be an All-Star, a six-year, $55 million contract.
Arenas stated to Miller and UD:
“Pat Riley was coming after me and they were saying, we’re going to play you guys at the one and two…But Pat Riley said, ‘I don’t feel comfortable paying a young guy $55 million, who hasn’t proven himself,‘”
The Heat could have afforded the deal because they had about $10 million in salary cap space at the time. However, their President was hoping to match Wade with an experienced player.
