In a detailed article about the longtime friendship of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James, it also mentioned “The Brotherhood” which also includes Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul. The most controversial part of the article is where James mentioned he would take a pay cut to play one or two seasons with Anthony, Wade and Paul; but the article also mentioned how it almost happened a few years ago.
There’s always been speculation about just how long and how much planning LeBron James and Dwyane Wade put into teaming up together. In this interview, James finally reveals a bit of that answer. It also turns out Carmelo Anthony was supposed to be in on it, but he didn’t quite get the hint.
via Howard Beck of Bleacher Report:
Early in the summer of 2006, three budding NBA stars—rivals, friends and members of the same draft class—got on the phone to discuss their futures.
Each was in the third year of his rookie contract and was now eligible for an extension of up to five years.
“Listen,” James told his buddies on the conference call, “I think I’m going to do a three-year extension, because in 2010 we can become free agents at the peak, right there in the prime of our career.”
A longer deal meant more guaranteed money. A shorter deal held risks. But James wanted to keep his options open. Wade did, too. They opted for three-year, $60 million extensions that would expire in 2010, together.
“And, uh, Melo,” James said, smiling and chuckling softly, “Melo took the five-year.”
The decision for Anthony seemed simple at the time. The Nuggets were competitive, after all, and the five-year deal would pay $80 million.
“I wanted to stay in Denver,” Anthony said. “Like, I believed in Denver so much that I felt like we had an opportunity to do some things out there.”
We know how 2010 free agency played out: James and Wade joined forces in Miami and pulled in Chris Bosh—another 2003 draftee who took the short extension—to form a new powerhouse. They made four straight Finals, won two championships and caused convulsions across the league.
We’ll never know how July 2010 would have looked had Anthony taken the hint and taken the short deal. He might have become the third member of the Heatles or linked up with James in New York or Chicago.
Looking back, Anthony can only smile ruefully at the missed opportunity, the missed cues. Once James and Bosh landed with Wade on South Beach, “it was like, ‘OK, they knew something,'” Anthony said, chuckling.
Knew something?
“Yeah, they plotted that,” he said, still chuckling. “They plotted that.”
So, why didn’t they tell you?
“I guess they was telling me, in their own way: ‘Take the three-year deal.'”
The quote is relayed to James, who affirms, “We were.”
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