Overview
- Wade recalled that Riley asked for his buy-in on acquiring Allen Iverson, which he initially supported until told Udonis Haslem would be traded.
- He said the decision was about trust and culture rather than talent, noting Haslem was the teammate who would "stick up" and "fight" for him.
- Wade characterized the talks as serious, saying that whenever Pat Riley is involved, a deal is "always close."
- Haslem had recently said he was in a proposed package for Iverson, and Wade’s account publicly corroborated that detail.
- Coverage notes Iverson was past his peak by 2006 while Haslem went on to anchor Miami’s locker room across 20 seasons and three titles.