The Miami Heat famously won the 2006 NBA Finals. This was after falling into a 0-2 series hole to the Dallas Mavericks.
Dwyane Wade then took over the series and with help from Shaquille O’Neal, the Heat were holding the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after six games. But did you know an error essentially caused this title win?
It’s true. Back in 2003, Heat point guard Anthony Carter entered the final year of his contract. He had a $4.1 million player option and planned on opting in.
The problem was that Carter’s agent at the time forgot to notify the Heat of his client’s wishes before the deadline for players to opt into their contracts. This led to Carter becoming a free agent and his salary off the Miami Heat books.
With more money to spend, the Heat, led by President Pat Riley, offered free agent Lamar Odom $65 million over six seasons. The addition of Odom would not bring Miami a title, but his addition would be key to signing a player who would bring the Heat NBA glory.
After the Los Angeles Lakers dynasty fell apart in 2004, change was on the horizon. The Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal feud was at an all-time high, and head coach Phil Jackson had enough of Kobe’s attitude.
On July 14, 2004, the Lakers traded O’Neal to the Heat, ending LA’s dominance. Who did the Heat use as trade pawns? Caron Butler, Brian Grant, a future first-round pick, and Lamar Odom. This was an incredible move made by Riley, as he seemingly was always one step ahead of the competition.
The Heat would miss out on the NBA title in O’Neal’s first season, falling to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals. The following season, O’Neal and Wade helped Miami win the franchise’s first NBA championship.
What Happened To Anthony Carter?
Anthony Carter got the short end of the straw in this situation. After missing out on returning to the Heat, Carter discovered there wasn’t much interest in his services from other NBA teams.
Carter would eventually sign with the San Antonio Spurs for just $750,000. This error didn’t bounce Carter out of the league, in fact, he played until 2012, finishing with a solid 13-year career.
The problem was the money Carter would make. Now, Carter may not have gotten $65 million from the Heat like Odom, but he would have likely received a decent payday. Since his agent made an error, forcing him to leave the Heat, Carter continued to sign small deals with teams.
Over the course of his career, Carter earned $17,212,048. This was a far cry from $65 million. This truly was a terrible situation for Carter, caused by no fault of his own.
Luckily for Carter, the agent who made the mistake wanted to amend his errors. The agent agreed to pay Carter $3.35 million, which was the money left over after Carter was forced to sign for $750,000 instead of $4.1 million.
The agent paid Carter this money over 18 installments from 2003 to 2020. Overall, Carter had a solid NBA career and earned back the money he was supposed to make. So, Carter ended up on the winning side of things.
As for his agent, he lost $3.35 million and likely a handful of clients not wanting to trust their fortune with him. Still, the biggest winners in this mess are obviously Shaquille O’Neal and the Miami Heat, as this error started a winning tradition in South Beach.
