Dwyane Wade: Chris Paul Didn't Get Traded to Heat Because I Wouldn't Give Up No. 3

The Miami Heat were one of the most successful teams in the NBA when they had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the roster.

However, they nearly added a fourth star to the mix in 2011—Chris Paul.

Speaking on The Why with Dwyane Wade on iHeart Podcasts, Wade revealed that Paul didn't get traded to Miami because he didn't want to give up his No. 3, which was eventually retired by the Heat in 2020.

"We was talking about me coming to Miami. We was talking about who was gonna have the ball in their hands, how it's going to work," Paul said (1 hour, 28 minute mark). "Then who was it? Was it CJ [Paul's brother] who said something about who was going to wear number three?"

Wade responded: "Bro, that's what I wanted to get to. We talk about all of this, who gonna have the ball, how we're all going to play together, no CP can have the ball. We done figured all that out, and then somebody said, 'Well who going to wear number three?' Silence. Messed the whole trade up."

Had Paul been traded to the Heat, perhaps he would have won a title. Instead, he found himself with the Los Angeles Clippers and is now considered one of the best players to never win a championship.