James Harden joining the Brooklyn Nets is still the biggest story of the 2020-21 NBA season. Harden completed the move after he became unsettled with a sub-par Houston Rockets team. The shooting guard is now enjoying his time in Brooklyn, but things could’ve panned out differently for the 31-year-old. 

James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets seem like a match made in heaven. Harden’s arrival has bolstered the Nets’ attack, and they’re now towering favorites to win the championship. 

It is no secret that Harden transforms any franchise into a winning team. He is yet another offensive piece in Brooklyn, but how would things look if he had joined the Miami Heat. In fact, ‘The Beard’ was close to teaming up with Jimmy Butler, but the move unfortunately took a hit. 

Miami Heat were ready to welcome James Harden into the team

Look away, Heat fans. This news might be agonizing, to say the least. Imagine the Heat equipped with a player like James Harden on the offense. They do have talented scorers, but a Butler-Harden pairing would’ve been incredibly special!

Now we aren’t making this up out of nowhere. James Harden was close to joining the Heat, but the Nets came calling early. According to Bleacher Report’s Farbod Esnaashari, Miami was the frontrunner to sign Harden when the latter initially began forcing an exit from Houston.

“As Harden delayed his arrival to training camp in December, the Heat became the front-runner for him. Harden’s main preference was—and always was—the Nets, but he had no problem going to Miami. Jimmy Butler had even OK’d the trade, according to a league source,” Esnaashari wrote in his report.

But there was a reason why the move broke down. While Miami was ready to offer Andre Iguodala, Kelly Olynyk, two younger players, and a future draft pick, Houston demanded Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson, and Kendrick Nunn in place of Iguodala and Olynyk. 

The Heat just weren’t willing to part with two of their brightest shooters and declined to move further. It just seems like the right decision in hindsight, as they would’ve given up too many assets in return for one player. 

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