The LeBron James era with the Miami Heat is one of the most iconic single-player-led eras in modern NBA history. James was the best version of himself and won two titles and Finals MVP alongside two league MVPs in a four-year stint. He went to the NBA Finals all four seasons but would leave in 2014 to rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James’ first year ended with a shocking 4-2 Finals loss in 2011 to the Dallas Mavericks. Gilbert Arenas has claimed on his Playback channel that the Heat tried openly trading LeBron to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard after that loss.
“Miami Heat after the motherf**** Dallas, tried to trade LeBron James to the Magic for Dwight Howard. They were openly trying to trade LeBron James for Dwight Howard. They felt the way that LeBron played against Dallas, they didn’t need him.”
“Chris Bosh was their all-purpose player, and they were trying to trade him (Bron) to get a big man down there. Him and Pat Riley were fighting over power from their first year.”
Gil says the Miami Heat once tried to trade LeBron James for Dwight Howard after losing the 2011 NBA Finals
“They felt the way that LeBron played against Dallas, they didn’t need him.”
What a trade that would’ve been!! pic.twitter.com/w2FL5eqFsS
— Playback (@WatchPlayback) March 14, 2025
Dwight Howard was the No. 2 pick from the 2004 NBA Draft and had won his third Defensive Player of the Year award by the end of the 2010-11 season. His Orlando Magic had beaten LeBron in the Playoffs during the 2009 season, with Dwight proving to be the next big-man legend of the NBA.
James averaged 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in his first season with the Heat, controversially losing the MVP to Derrick Rose. Dwight averaged 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks that season with the Magic, who reached the first round in the Playoffs while LeBron lost in the Finals.
While the deal seems ridiculous today, Howard was arguably one of the five best players in the NBA at that point. He wasn’t even close to the talent LeBron is, so it’s hard to understand why Pat Riley would consider a trade like this even if he wanted LeBron gone.
Even though Howard was 26 years old in 2011, the prime of his career was mostly behind him as back injuries would reduce him to a role player within a few seasons. Meanwhile, LeBron is still an All-NBA player 14 years later and is over a decade removed from when he chose to voluntarily leave the Heat.
Given that Riley was allegedly devastated when LeBron left, it’s funny to see there might have been a point where he willingly wanted him gone, and that too for Dwight Howard.
While this didn’t happen with LeBron, it does mirror the situation that Luka Doncic just went through.
He was a supposedly untradeable superstar who got dealt for a defensive big man in a move everyone can agree is a bad one. It might have been based on power, too, with GM Nico Harrison’s reported dislike for Doncic and his habits.
Given that Pat Riley has ended stints with almost every one of his star players on acrimonious terms, it’s not impossible to imagine he would consider trading LeBron over silly reasons that could hurt the team. Thankfully, he didn’t, and he has two banners in the rafters as a result.
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