NBA veteran reveals near-trade that almost changed 76ers history

Allen Iverson, one of the best players in Philadelphia 76ers history, was the face of the franchise and one of the faces of the NBA in the 2000s. While he failed to win a championship in the city, he was undoubtedly an iconic figure and the single biggest reason behind the team’s relevance during that stretch.

Iverson was eventually traded to Denver in late 2006, a city he played on for two years before coming into a decline, but apparently, the 76ers superstar could’ve found himself donning a different jersey than the Nuggets’ then-powder blues.

Udonis Haslem bares he was almost traded to the 76ers for Allen Iverson

Udonis Haslem, who spent 20 years and his entire career with the Heat, revealed that Miami nearly traded him for Iverson, flirting with the idea of pairing him with fellow Hall-of-Famers Dwyane Wade.

"I remember my name was in the hat one time. We was talking about making a move for Iverson and my name got thrown in the hat a little bit. I was all shook up and (expletive), but D-Wade was like ‘Man, that’s Allen Iverson‘."

It’s uncertain what the timeline is on this one, but it’s likely to have come after the 2005-06 season, where the Heat emerged as the champions with Wade and Shaquille O’Neal leading the way. While Haslem was one of their most important players back then, the idea of Iverson playing Wade and O’Neal could have been a historic development.

Of course, there’s no chance Philadelphia trade Iverson for Haslem outright, so the trade framework is likely to have been more complex than that one.

Instead, the 76ers traded Iverson to the Nuggets for a package which included Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks as they pivoted into a soft rebuild. Meanwhile, the Heat failed to repeat that magic until LeBron came to town.

It’s definitely fascinating to think that prime Iverson could have played with Wade, who was one of the league’s bext players at that time. But fortunately, that trade didn’t break through, as the 76ers were unlikely to have gotten a handsome offer from the Heat.