How Matt Barnes Almost Was Part Of The Miami Heat's Big Three Era

Barnes was set to join the Heat until Kobe Bryant intervened

The Miami Heat almost had another team member during the Big Three Era from 2010-14. 

Retired player Matt Barnes recently detailed how he was close to join the Heat when they featured LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. During a podcast appearance with Shannon Sharpe, Barnes said he was in talks with Heat team president Pat Riley. Barnes was playing for the Orlando Magic at the time. 

'I was literally talking to Pat Riley and D Wade and they're talking about we're about to build something over here," Barnes said. There's words of him [James] coming and there's words of Bosh coming,' Barnes said. 'It's right up the free way for me and I'm literally having conversations with Pat Riley."'

.@Matt_Barnes22 on playing with Kobe: I wouldn’t change that for money or rings. pic.twitter.com/Fq9lREkIba

— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 13, 2022

The only thing that prevented Barnes from joining the Heat was a phone call from the late Kobe Bryant. He recruited Barnes to play with him for the Los Angeles Lakers. 

'He's like it's Kob," Barnes said. "We start going back and forth, and he ask me what I'm doing. And I literally tell him I'm kind of back and forth, I'm talking to Miami right now. He's like "nah f*** Miami, you want to be a Laker." And I'm like hell yeah, and like four days later I was a Laker."

Barnes missed out on winning two championships in Miami but said he wouldn't trade rings for the chance to play with Bryant.

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Shandel Richardson is the Miami Heat writer for Inside The Heat. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA.