Luol Deng Stopped Miami Heat’s “Big Three” From Forming On Chicago Bulls

The Los Angeles Clippers’ rejected trade for Luol Deng led to the Miami Heat’s “Big Three”

The Miami Heat’s “Big Three” era was one for the ages. But there was a time when it almost never happened.

After five years of failing to make it past the first round of the playoffs, Dwyane Wade was tempted to leave the Heat during the 2010 free agency. It was even reported that Miami-Dade County changed their name to Miami-Wade County in hopes of keeping him.

Apparently, he came close to joining the Chicago Bulls, as well as LeBron James and Chris Bosh. The only thing that stopped them was Luol Deng. After developing into a great two-way forward, the Bulls hoped to send him to the Los Angeles Clippers. But they declined the trade and the Bulls’ low salary wasn’t enough to acquire the three stars.

If the trade did happen, the Bulls would’ve most likely had a superteam. James, Wade, and Bosh would have joined Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, both who were at their peak.

Wade, however, didn’t see everyone benefiting from it. In May 2019, a video went viral of Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles’ Knuckleheads podcast. In the video, Wade said the team would have featured too many ball-dominant players.

"It was like, 'Me, you, and D-Rose? That's a lot. Just one ball, we all need it," Wade said. "That may be too much. But listen, we thought about it. When it came down to it, Miami was the only team with enough money to get all three of us. When it came down to it, we thought CB was the perfect match. And ultimately, bro, I just wanted to win."

Obviously, the Heat took advantage of the “Big Three” as they made four Finals appearances from 2011-2014 and won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. It leaves one to wonder if the Bulls could have done the same.

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Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.