It isn't hard to wonder why the L.A. Lakers didn't ask for Dwayne Wade when discussions were taking place with the Miami Heat regarding Shaquille O'Neal. According to a report in the L.A. Times you can wonder no more, because they did, and Pat Riley refused to budge.
"I thought the deal was fair," said Riley of the July 2004 trade that sent Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant to the Lakers. "Giving up all three of those guys? Dwyane was the one guy that we didn't want to let go. Not that we had a crystal ball, but we felt there was something there that might be better even than what we'd seen."