Former NBA Player Gilbert Arenas Almost Became a Miami Heat in 2003

Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently revealed on ‘The OG’s’ podcast that he came close to joining Miami in 2003.

What would’ve been like if the Miami Heat had Gilbert Arenas playing for them? A dominant backcourt duo between Arenas and Dwyane Wade would’ve been sick.

It’s another ‘what if ‘scenario as Miami and Arenas didn’t unite. At that time, Arenas was yet to fully unleash his offensive prowess. Let’s not forget, he began his journey with the Golden State Warriors but truly blossomed when he landed at the Washington Wizards.

According to Arenas, Pat Riley said, “I don’t feel comfortable paying a young guy $55 million who hasn’t proved himself yet.” Miami had Eddie Jones and Caron Butler on the team. A trade would have been necessary for that to work.

Riley wasn’t wrong at the moment, but he turned out to be wrong two years later when Arenas became a machine on the court. He became an All-Star in 2005. In that same year, Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, in his first season with Miami, lost to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference in seven games. Miami won their first NBA championship the next year by defeating the Dallas Mavericks in six games.

Miami’s victories were without Arenas, but his addition could have made them more formidable. It’s not a stretch to imagine them clinching two or three championships during the Wade and O’Neal era with Arenas on the roster.

Miguel Mike Medina is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com

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